Cold and Dark
by PavLuvsPercyJackson
Summary: The world is in an eternal winter, and the moon calls on the Guardians to find the Big Four, the spirits of the four seasons. The only problem is that their enemies already know the identity of one of the Four, and they're doing everything in their power to ensure that he doesn't realize his true potential to complete the prophecy. Dark!Jack, maybe Jackunzel & Merricup, ROTBTD fic
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,**

 **I'm not sure if something like this has been done before, and I feel it would be a pretty good story line.**

 **So, its a Big Four fic, may contain Jackunzel, Mericup, Jarida, whatever you guys want. Rise of the Guardians never happened, and I'm making it so that Jack was reborn a few hundred years earlier than he was in the movie, so that it will fit in the the timeline of the other movies.**

 **I hope you all enjoy it ;D**

* * *

 _Prologue_

Jack Frost was alone. He always was; humans couldn't see him and the other spirits thought he was a menace, a nuisance. Sure, he may have caused trouble for some of them once every few hundred years, but they held grudges like nothing else. Angry spirits don't really know how to let it go.

So Jack did what he always did when he was lonely. He made it snow, bringing winter to the world. He went back to his home, the lake where he'd been reborn. It was frozen year round because of him. The residents of Burgess could never explain the phenomenon, so people kept away from it. Except for a few adventurous kids, but Jack liked to play with them.

It had been almost two hundred years since the Man in the Moon had made him like this, and he still had no idea why. What was he supposed to do, make it snow for eternity? Is that what the moon wanted him to do?

Jack tried to stop, but he felt the bitterness sinking into him. Even after saying how spirits held grudges, he could feel hate for the moon, the Guardians, everyone who could see him and still acted like he was invisible except to scold him like a child.

Normally, he was a very happy guy, only interested in having a bit of fun, but now he wanted something else.

He wanted respect.

"I know how you feel, Jack." A voice, dark and sinister, said from the shadows.

Jack whirled around, staff raised in a defensive position. The man who had spoken stepped forward, revealing a tall figure with black hair, pale grey skin and gleaming gold eyes. He wore simple long black robes.

Jack had never seen the man before, but he knew who this was. "Pitch Black."

Pitch gave a mocking bow, a smirk on his colourless lips. "Jack Frost."

"What do you want?" Jack raised his staff a bit higher.

Pitch put his hands behind his back and walked towards him. "I only wanted to talk."

Jack rolled his eyes. "What have I done this time?"

"That's exactly it, Jack!" Pitch exclaimed, as if he was excited. "You never did anything! And yet they still shut you out. Just like they did to me."

"Don't take me for an idiot, everyone knows what you did in the Dark Ages."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Did Pitch really have the nerve to come and tell Jack that he knew what it felt like? He didn't. Pitch got everything that was coming for him, but Jack had never done anything to threaten the Guardians or the children of the world.

"Well, you're right, I did some bad things, but Jack, we're a lot alike."

"I'm nothing like you." Jack snapped, starting to walk away when a whip of black sand wrapped his wrist.

"Wait! I have a deal for you."

Jack wrenched his arm back, breaking the whip, but he turned back to Pitch. What exactly could he have to offer the Nightmare King? "And what's that?"

Pitch walked forward again, this time so he was only a few feet away. "I can help you be seen, I'll make people believe in you."

"And what do you want in return?" He asked, his breath hitching when he heard the boogeyman's offer.

An evil grin appeared on Pitch's lips. "I want you to help me take down the Guardians."

 _I should've known that it was too good to be true,_ Jack thought, gritting his teeth. "Forget it. Leave me alone."

Pitch's face darkened, if that were even possible. "You're making a mistake. Why wouldn't you want them gone? They've never helped you, when you had no idea what had happened to you, they turned you away-"

"You never did anything to help me either," Jack defended.

"But I'm trying to help you now! That's more than the Guardians have ever done."

Jaw clenched, Jack looked away from Pitch, refusing to admit how right the other spirit was. Of all the people to notice him, to want to help him, it had to be the Nightmare King.

"Just go, Pitch. I don't accept the deal."

Jack drifted on the winds, carried onto the thin ice of the lake, where he knew Pitch wouldn't dare follow. This lake was Jack's home, he wielded the power here. Or so he thought.

Pitch melted back into the shadows, and just as Jack was starting to think that he was gone, he reappeared behind him. Jack swung his staff just in time to deflect the wave of black sand, his instincts kicking in.

Jack threw a shot of ice in Pitch's direction, which the boogeyman blocked.

"We don't have to fight Jack! Help me defeat the Guardians."

Jack couldn't help the incredibly childish comment that followed. "You started it!"

They battled back and forth, the night sky lit up by the bursts of blue light shot from Jack's staff. Every time he knocked back one of Pitch's attacks, he felt his fears grow stronger, coming to the forefront of his mind no matter how hard he pushed them back.

Pitch was infecting his fears, using his own thoughts against him.

During their battle, Jack was overcome with visions; spending eternity on his own, confined to the coldest regions of the world where no one else dared to go, being forever ignored, forever unseen. He heard Pitch's voice in his mind, telling Jack was he was afraid of the most, the fear that he'd never know why he was chosen to be this way. Why did Manny make him this, invisible and unable to reach out to anyone?

Jack gritted his teeth, blocking out the bad thoughts. While he was still distracted, Pitch attacked him full force.

A towering arch of nightmare sand fell over Jack, swamping him in the terrors of children from around the world. Jack cried out as he was swallowed by the fear, seeing a glimpse of the bright full moon before his sight went black and he fell into the darkness.

* * *

Pitch Black stood back and watched as Jack Frost was covered in nightmares.

He'd done his job, now he just had to wait for the others. Manny may have his Guardians, but Pitch had friends as well, powerful friends. And now with Jack Frost under his control, there was no way the 'Big Four' could stop them.

Moments after Jack was overcome, the black sand receded at Pitch's command.

The white haired spirit was unconscious, his staff laying beside him, the glow of frost lost with the lack of Jack's contact. Pitch approached the boy, nudging him with his foot.

"Jack, wake up."

The other spirit stirred, and opened his eyes. His evil golden eyes.

Pitch let the grin crawl onto his features. It had worked. He had known Jack wouldn't come with him willingly, but he had never tried to take over another spirit before, but it worked.

And without Jack Frost, the 'Big Four' was incomplete.

Pitch held his hand out to help Jack up, and the winter spirit accepted with a smirk. Jack picked up his staff, and automatically Pitch felt the air grow colder.

Already Jack was more powerful under Pitch's influence; Pitch could only imagine the damage the boy could do with the power of believers behind him. And Pitch intended to keep his end of the bargain, he would help people believe. He would help them _fear_ Jack Frost.

Pitch grabbed Jack's upper arm, willing the shadows to bend around them and take them to his lair. Pitch was unaffected by the sensation, but he saw Jack stumble slightly when they appeared at their destination.

His lair was a labyrinth of dark, twisting staircases, laid out completely to his advantage. There was barely a meter of ground that wasn't concealed in shadows, making it completely impossible for any intruders to get past him. Down here, Pitch was everywhere.

"So," Jack spoke once he had recovered from the queasy feeling in his stomach, one that wasn't unlike being walked through. "When do we take down the Guardians."

Pitch laughed at Jack's eagerness. "Soon, first we need to make people believe in you."

Jack's smirk broadened. They both turned around when they heard someone else in the labyrinth. Jack hefted his staff, but Pitch held up a hand. He knew who it was.

"Gothel, gentlemen, I've been expecting you."

Three figures stepped into sight; a beautiful older woman with a mass of curling black hair, cruel grey eyes and dark painted lips wearing a black cloak and red dress, and two thick-built men, one draped in dragon skin, both covered in hideous scars. Each of them was assigned to one of the Four, to keep them from fulfilling the prophecy. Thankfully, Jack was the only member of the Four living at the moment.

Mother Gothel regarded Jack's gold eyes carefully. She knew the young spirit was essential to their plan, but she didn't like that Frost was under Pitch's control; it only gave Pitch more of an advantage over the rest of them.

"You got him." Mor'du remarked, trying not to sound impressed.

"Yes, I did," Pitch said, turning to Drago. "But you failed to get the Viking chiefs' loyalty."

Drago snarled at Pitch. "I killed them instead."

"It's no matter," Gothel interrupted impatiently. "Are we ready to continue with the plan?"

The four villains shared a look, and then glanced at Jack.

"Yes, we are."

* * *

Toothiana was hurrying around her palace, getting reports of lost teeth from her fairies left and right.

She was sending them out to every country, and then one of her senior collectors whispered in her ear.

"Snow in Corona? At this time of year?" Tooth asked in confusion.

It was summer in the northern hemisphere, and Jack Frost knew he wasn't supposed to make it snow in summer, and even then, it didn't really snow in Corona. Another fairy came and reported the same thing, this time in Scotland.

 _What on earth is Jack doing?_ She wondered. Normally, she might have sent Bunny to go remind him that it was meant to be in the warm months of the year, but she was getting reports of snow from more than one location. Where was he?

Making a split second decision, she dashed to the North Pole, a small squad of fairies behind her.

"North!" She called, flying in threw one of the open windows.

North was standing in front of the globe, studying the lights carefully. "Tooth, what is it?"

Tooth quickly explained what her fairies had said about the premature winter weather. "He's up to something, he knows doing that messes with nature's cycle."

North nodded carefully, but his gaze was still focused on the lights. Tooth mimicked the Guardian of Wonder, drifting next to him. She didn't notice anything off about the globe, except that some of the lights were glowing brighter than usual.

She didn't know what to think about the snow. Jack wasn't a bad guy, no matter what Bunny said about him freezing water pipes and messing with egg hunts. Surely he wasn't doing it on purpose.

"Why don't you talk to him?" North asked.

Tooth rolled her eyes, "I already told to this, North, I don't know where he is."

North gave her an apologetic glance, finally tearing his eyes from the globe. "I am sure it is nothing, Jack is probably just having fun."

* * *

Jack Frost flew all over the world, bringing snow in his wake.

It wasn't much of a stretch from what he did for only half of the earth, and he felt stronger than usual. He didn't know how to explain it, but it was like someone was lending him their strength.

Jack was more than eager to bring down the Guardians, the so-called _protectors,_ but Pitch and the others had told him that he had to do this first. It was all part of the plan.

What better way to bring eternal darkness than with eternal winter?

With the help of the wind, soon the word was covered in ice and snow, just like Pitch had wanted.

* * *

 **So, what do you guys think?**

 **The rest of the Big Four will be in the next chapters, this chapter is placed a few years before they were born.**

 **Please R &R xD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait.**

 **So, this is the start of the story and it's been twenty years since Pitch took control of Jack**

 **Thanks to everyone who followed this story, reckon we could get some more reviews on this chapter? xD**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hiccup huddled closer to the fire, sitting with Toothless in the home we shared with his father.

A particularly bad blizzard was blazing outside, which wasn't uncommon these days, but Hiccup hadn't seen one this strong in a long time.

It had always been cold on Berk, but Hiccup's dad, Stoick, said that twenty years ago, the snow came and never went away. They had heard from traders that it was the same all over the world, everywhere was covered in snow and ice.

A lot of the older Vikings on Berk blamed Jokul Frosti, and no one else could come up with any sort of logical explanation.

"Reckon we'll go a nice long ride when this blizzard lets up, eh Toothless?" Hiccup said, knowing how much the Night Fury loved to play in the freshly fallen snow. How long until the storm blew itself out, however, no one could tell.

Hiccup had always found the circumstances of the world's eternal winter to be incredibly fascinating. Even places that had never seen snow before where now covered with it.

Countless times Hiccup had wondered if Jokul Frosti was real. He had always thought that he was a fairly good-tempered spirit, so what would have caused him to inflict this winter?

In response to Hiccup's suggestion, Toothless made a rumbling purr in the back of his throat as consent, eager to get out of the small house.

Hiccup smiled, scratching his dragon affectionately under the chin.

Stoick was in the Great Hall with some of the other villagers, watching the livestock, so it was just the two of them. Hiccup had never been more bored in his life. They'd already been stuck in the house for a few hours, and the blizzard was still howling.

Hiccup sighed and leaned against his dragon's warm side. The extra heat provided by the fire made him suddenly sleepy.

 _Well, no better way to pass the time than with a nap._ He thought, closing his eyes.

* * *

 _Hiccup looked around at his surroundings. He didn't recognize this place._

 _He was standing on a frozen lake, the banks were covered with snow and bare trees skirted the perimeter, telling Hiccup that he was in a forest._

 _Looking up through the trees at the dark night sky, he saw the bright full moon._

 _Where was he?_

This is where it all started, Hiccup. _Hiccup whirled around to find the source of the voice, but was shocked to realize that it had been in his head._

 _"This is where what started?" He asked, still hoping to find a figure in the darkness. There was no way that someone could be talking in his mind._

 _The voice was solemn when it spoke again._ The winter, child. It began here, with one force overcoming another. Old enemies of spirits like me have banded together, Hiccup, and they have already wrought great destruction on the world.

 _"Why are you telling me this?" Spirits? What kind of spirits, what enemies. A million questions spun in Hiccup's head._

It is a long tale, _the voice sighed._ There was a prophecy told eons ago about the rising of the Four Seasons. They were destined to be four spirits of tremendous power, and it was foretold that they would defeat the greatest enemies of their peoples. Hiccup, though there are many powerful beings in this world, only the Season can beat this threat. You must find the other three Seasons.

 _Other three!?_ _"You... you mean-"_

Hiccup, you are the Spirit of Autumn. You helped bring change to your people, you ended the historic war between the Vikings and the dragons.

 _That can't be, that's impossible. Hiccup wasn't some spirit! And even if he was, how was he supposed to find the other three? He didn't who they were, where they were, what they looked like._

 _"You must be mistaken..."_

 _The voice let out a dry chuckle._ No, my boy. You have been chosen, and the Moon doesn't make mistakes. As for how you will find your fellow Seasons, I will send help to you, you don't have to do it alone.

 _Well, that's reassuring. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, but somehow he could tell that the voice wasn't listening anymore, whoever it was had left._

 _What was that about the Moon? Was...was the voice from the moon? He knew of cultures that believed the sun had a spirit, was it the same for the moon?_

 _Had the Moon actually asked for_ his _help, when he probably had a thousand others that he could ask._

 _Hiccup turned around in a circle, again taking in the frozen lake. This is were the winter began, supposedly. One force overcoming another; what could that mean? Had someone been possessed here? Or killed._

 _Hiccup let out a breath, he wondered what had happened. He guessed this lake had quite a bit of history behind it._

 _The voice couldn't have been less helpful. You can't just tell someone that they some kind of powerful spirit and then not explain what they had to do! What if he didn't want to go find the other three Seasons, what if he didn't want to be the Spirit of Autumn. Did the voice not realize that Hiccup had a family?_

 _Suddenly, he heard another voice. This one wasn't in his head, and this definitely didn't sound as kind as the first one._

 _A low rumbling laugh echoed around him, carrying a tone of pure evil. "What do we have here? The second of the Four Seasons?"_

 _Second? But the first voice had told him that he was the first. He searched for the voice's source, but came to the same problem as before. "Where are you?! What do you want."_

 _"Nothing, my boy, but you have made it a lot easier for me to carry out our plans."_

* * *

Hiccup woke with a start.

That had to be one of the craziest dreams he had ever had. Spirits? Yeah, he'd definitely lost it if he thought that it had been the Moon that was speaking to him.

He sat up to find the Toothless was still asleep beside him, and the fire had almost burned itself out. He could still hear the blizzard outside, but it was quieter now.

 _How long was I asleep?_ He wondered. A few hours at least.

He was used to spending the duration of Berk's snowstorms alone in the house, but after his dream he couldn't shake the eerie sensation that something was watching him.

Worse still, he couldn't decide if it was the first voice, the one that had promised he wouldn't be alone, or the second, much meaner sounding one.

Hiccup curled in closer to Toothless, feeling the usual protection from the dragon. No matter which voice it was, they wouldn't get anywhere near him with Toothless around.

He tried to get back to sleep again, but it continued to elude as he sat and waited out the storm, giving him plenty of time to reflect on his dream. Strangely, it hadn't faded from his memory as dreams usually did; he could recall it perfectly.

Something about the dream didn't feel imaginary. Now, Hiccup was no lucid dreamer, but even he could tell that it wasn't an ordinary dream. It felt like someone had called to him in his sleep, that voice had wanted to talk to him.

"Ugh, I think I'm going crazy." He muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

He'd heard of some of the village elders claiming they'd received messages from the gods, but he knew the voice didn't belong to any of them. And whoever started this winter wasn't a Viking god either.

* * *

Another two hours later and the storm had finally come to a stop.

Almost immediately, Toothless and forced his way through the door, which had been covered in snow, and was diving in and out of the powdery substance.

Many other Vikings were making their way out of their homes, starting with the exhausting task of shoveling away the snow that blocked entrances and roads. Hiccup saw his friends gathering at the Academy, and Stoick emerged from the town hall.

"Hiccup!" His dad called, and he and Toothless made their way over to him.

Hiccup used Toothless to help balance himself; he tended to struggle with walking through the slippery snow on his prosthetic leg.

"I need you to go and quickly check if any of the fences are broken, before we put the animals back in."

Hiccup nodded, hopping onto Toothless' back and hooking his foot into the stirrup that controlled his tail. "Sure Dad, be right back."

With a signalling pat from Hiccup, Toothless spread his wings and took off with one powerful flap. They soared through the clearing sky, arriving all too quick. Nothing could beat the feeling Hiccup got when he was flying.

He hurriedly surveyed the paddock fencing, and flew back to his dad when he was satisfied that they were sturdy enough to hold the yaks.

"Dad, I'm just taking Toothless out," Hiccup said, not waiting for Stoick to reply before they took off again.

From the sky, a snow-covered Berk looked more beautiful than anything Hiccup had ever seen. The cold wind whipped through his hair, carrying with it the occasional snowflake.

"Where should we go, eh Toothless?" Hiccup said over the wind.

Toothless flapped his wings harder to pick up speed, travelling fast to the other side of the island. Spotting a large clearing filled with snow, Toothless dived down.

Hiccup laughed and leaned back into the steep dive, letting go of the saddle and letting his feet keep him on Toothless' back.

Pulling up at the last second, Toothless landed in the soft, white snow before leaping up and down in excitement.

Toothless wiped out his tail as Hiccup dismounted, sweeping his rider off his feet and sending him falling backwards. Smiling broadly, Hiccup pushed Toothless' head away before he could lick him.

Hiccup let Toothless play in the snow, taking out his sketch pad. The book was full of drawing of various dragons and landscapes, and it was getting increasingly difficult to find pages that didn't have charcoal smudges on them.

Sitting back against a tree, Hiccup drew the clearing, doing his best to capture Toothless while he was still jumping around. "Can't stay still for two seconds, can ya bud?"

Suddenly, Toothless stiffened. His wings drew up partly in preparation for flight, his eyes narrowed and his ears perked.

"What is it, Toothless?" Hiccup asked, closing his book.

Automatically he was on high alert, thinking back to his dream. The voice had said that it'd send help, could it be them? "Hello?"

Watching out for anything that could be lurking in the trees, Hiccup slowly mounted Toothless, getting ready for a split second take-off.

The branches in a tree nearby rustled, and then the same thing happened on the opposite side of the clearing. Either there were two creatures, or it was something incredibly quick.

"Show yourself!" Hiccup demanded, signalling for Toothless to start charging up a shot.

"Don't shoot," Someone said from behind them, and Toothless leaped back. "I just need to talk to you."

The sight before them made Hiccup's jaw drop. The creature had emerged from the trees, but Hiccup had never seen anything like it before. Standing in front of them, was some kind of giant rabbit!

And by giant, he meant the thing had to be six foot tall at least.

"What the..?"

The rabbit scratched the back of his head. "Uh, listen mate, this is gonna come as a bit of a shock to ya."

Hiccup couldn't talk, he just stared at the rabbit with an open mouth.

"Well, my name's Bunnymund, though you may know me as the Easter Bunny...if you Vikings celebrate that kinda thing. Anyway, Hiccup, we need your help."

* * *

 **So, I wasn't sure how I was going to do that last part, and the thing with checking the fences was only in there because it needs to be longer, as I'm sure you guys would agree.**

 **I just LOVE Hiccup and Toothless though! So cute xD**

 **Props to anyone who can quess who the second voice was**

 **Please R &R ;D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

 **So we got a few more reviews! Thank you xD**

 **I forgot to mention, but I'll be using Race to the Edge Hiccup, so he's 17-18, like Jack and Rapunzel, and Merida will also be 17, being a year since she turned Elinor into a bear**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

* * *

Merida's POV

Merida looked out the window of her castle bedroom. The kingdom of Dunbroch was covered in a sheet of white snow, like always, but now the sky had cleared.

Grabbing her bow and slipping her quiver over her head so it laid low on her hips, she made her way down the stairs and through the castle. It was absolutely freezing outside the walls, but as long as it wasn't snowing she didn't really care.

Merida hadn't been able to ride Angus for almost a week because of the bad weather. She was used to the cold, but even Angus-with his thick winter coat- didn't like riding in the heavy snowfalls they got in the highlands at this time of year.

Merida arrived at the stables, hearing Angus whinny in excitement when he saw her coming. "Hey boy," She said affectionately, rubbing her horse's neck and scratching his forehead. Merida opened the stall door, grabbing hold of Angus' black mane as she swung herself up onto his broad back.

Angus knew what to do. He trotted out of the stable, before breaking into a rocking canter at the castle gate. As soon as his hooves hit the stone bridge, he shot forward at a gallop, Merida whooping in joy as she leaned forward to encourage him to go faster. There was nothing she loved more than riding Angus through the woods around Dunbroch, other then archery of course.

Angus thundered across the forest floor, following the track that he knew back to front.

When Merida knew that her archery targets were coming up, she balanced herself and pulled out an arrow. Knocking it on the string of her bow, Merida waited for the target to come into sight before she brought the tip of arrow up and aimed, pulling the string back. A split second later, she released the arrow and it buried itself into the center of the target.

Coming into range of the next one, she fired again, and again. She hit the bulls-eye every time.

Too soon they passed all her targets. Looking up through the treetops, Merida could see that grey clouds were starting to roll in. She knew she should probably go back, but she couldn't bring herself to turn Angus around.

She had slowed him down to a trot so he wouldn't wear himself out. He may have been a fit horse, but he was a draft horse, definitely not built for long distance gallops. And it was just as well that she did.

A glowing blue wisp appeared in their path, spooking Angus and causing him to skitter to the side. If they had been going any faster, the movement would've thrown Merida from his back.

Merida gasped. She hadn't seen a wisp since last year, when she'd turned her mother into a bear. The wisps were legendary, and it was told that they led people to their fate. She wondered what they had to show her this time.

Curiosity spiking, she urged Angus forward, following the wisps deeper into the woods.

* * *

The wisps led Merida to a clearing deep in the woods. The sky had long since been blocked out by clouds, and a cold wind had started blowing through the trees.

Angus came to a stop, allowing Merida to dismount.

"Where do ya think we are, eh Angus?" She asked, turning in a slow circle. She had never seen this part of the woods. The trail the wisps had showed was difficult to find, and difficult to follow. The trees in this area cast huge shadows, making the area seem evil and dark.

"Is anyone out there?" Merida called, starting to get the distinct feeling she was being watched.

The already cold air had dropped in temperature. The breeze had strengthened, threatening to tear branches from the trees, throwing Merida's unruly air in her face. Storm clouds blotted out the sky completely.

Merida could've sworn she saw swirling patterns of ice start to spread across the grass and roots that cris-crossed the forest floor.

Her heart beginning to race in response to the horrible feeling she was getting, Merida backed up towards Angus, ready to mount as quick as possible, quickly knocking an arrow.

A distinctly male laugh echoed around her, seeming to come from every direction. It sounded young, carefree, but it made the airs on her arms rise. The voice seemed to carry the icy temperature with it.

Merida whirled around, drawing back her bow as a silhouette appeared at the edge of her peripheral sight. A boy, tall and thin, holding a staff with a hooked end. As he came closer, Merida could make out unruly locks of snow-white hair, a sharp jaw-line and piercing, vicious golden eyes.

His pearly teeth were revealed as his lips pulled into a cocky smirk.

"This is the third Season, huh?" He asked no one in particular. "Well, I'm a bit underwhelmed. Don't know why they had to waste my time and send me after you, I have much more enjoyable things to do."

Hearing his words, Merida aimed straight at him heart and released the arrow, unflinching as the deadly projectile sailed at high speeds towards him. The boy simply raised his staff, and suddenly the arrow flew way off course, disappearing somewhere to the left of him.

"You'll have to do better than that, Merida DunBroch."

"How do ya know meh name?" Merida demanded, knocking three arrows on the bow string. The boy hadn't attacked her yet, but he obviously meant her harm and she couldn't afford to miss a kill shot.

Somehow, she had the feeling that it might not even be possible to kill this boy.

He laughed at Merida's naivety. "I know a lot of things. The winds tend to hear a lot, and they really _love_ to gossip."

Was he trying to insinuate that he spoke with the wind? Maybe he was insane. "Who are you!"

"Well, honestly I'm surprised you haven't guessed yet." He gestured around himself, at the ice that taken over the clearing, at the storm clouds, at the hurricane that teared through the woods.

But before he could say another word, a new voice yelled out "Frost!" and two wooden boomerangs came spinning through the air towards the boy. Suddenly, three more figures burst into the clearing.

One was a very short man who appeared to be made completely from golden sand. He formed two whips out of the sand and lashed at the boy, who leapt backwards with incredible agility.

The other was a huge man, possibly even taller than Merida's father, with merry blue eyes and a grey beard. He held a sword in each hand, and he lunged at the apparent enemy, his stabs and slashes blocked by the boy's staff.

The last was a massive rabbit. He had caught the boomerangs and had them at the ready, but he approached Merida while the other two distracted the boy.

"Merida Dunbroch?" He asked, his voice had a strange accent that Merida had never heard before.

"Who are you people?" She asked, her own accent growing heavier with panic.

The rabbit placed a paw on her shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the bow she held. "We're here to help you, I need to get you out of here. North and Sandy won't be able to hold Frost off for long."

Sparing a glance at the battle behind the massive rodent, Merida saw that he was right. Frost-as the rabbit had called him- had stopped bothering with evasive maneuvers and was on the attack. He fired sparking shards on ice at his two opponents, narrowly missing the large man who barely managed to dodge on time.

Before Merida could argue that she wanted to help (she had fought Mordu the Demon Bear, she could take this skinny kid) the rabbit had tapped his foot twice and a tunnel had opened up beneath the two of the them. Merida was free falling into the earth.

Before the tunnel closed over their heads, she heard an outraged cry and some sort of explosion, but then everything was quiet.

Merida and the rabbit were sliding through the tunnel at scary speeds, and before she knew it the passage had opened again and spat them out. Taking a moment to recover from the queasy feeling in her stomach, Merida put her hands on her knees.

She noticed that the three arrows had fallen off her bow string. And that Angus was still in the woods.

"You left meh horse!" She yelled at the rabbit, who gave her a strange look.

If rabbits had eyebrows, his would be raised. "Listen mate, North will take your horse back to your home, and will find a way to make sure your parents know that you're safe."

"Wait, no! I have teh get back!" She argued.

"Merida," The rabbit insisted. "If you go back Frost will be waiting for you, and he probably won't be alone next time."

Merida narrowed her eyes at him. She knew that he was right. "What if he goes after my family?"

The rabbit shook his head. "He can't, and even if he could, they are of no interest to him and his mates."

"Who is he, exactly? Who are _you_?"

The rabbit rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, it's kinda hard to explain...well, I'm Bunny, and that boy in the woods was Jack Frost. He's the one responsible for this winter."

"Jack Frost?" Merida said dubiously. "As in the winter spirit?"

"Who else could throw the world into another ice age?" Bunny countered.

Merida pursed her lips in doubt, but she accepted the answer and took in her surrounding.

They were in some kind of workshop, by the looks of it. A large skylight was open to show the bright full moon in the sky above them. Small elf like creatures scurried across the floor, the bells on their floppy, pointed hats jingling whenever they moved. There was a control panel of some kind off to Merida's right, and in the center of the room was a large globe that matched the design of the maps that Elinor had made Merida study many times before. Millions of lights covered the globe, illuminating the metal surface in a golden glow.

Before she could ask where they were, two new figures entered the room.

One was quite a tall boy, maybe a year older than Merida was. He had messy brown hair, a few of the strands braided at the back. His eyes were a bright forest green. He was was wearing a red tunic under an armor that seemed to be make of leather, with brown pants. Most notably, besides the fact that the boy was kinda attractive, was the metal leg that replaced his missing left limb.

The other was something that appeared to be a bird-woman. Her short frame was covered with a variation of green, blue and purple feathers, except for her hands and face. The feathers on her wrists and the crown of her head were gold, as if to depict bracelets and a headpiece. Shimmering wings on her back were moving so fast that they were almost impossible to see, and she had a very pretty face, with large purple eyes.

"Bunny! Thank the Moon you're alright." The bird-woman said as she and the boy walked over. "You must be Merida?"

Merida nodded in response, eyeing the woman and trying to take into account what she was seeing. She had no trouble believing in magic-she had turned her mother into a bear with a spell after all-but the bird-woman was a bit too much for her. In the last half hour, she seen the wisps, a boy who could control the winter weather, a tiny golden man, a giant rabbit and now the woman.

"Frost was there, I don't know if North and Sandy beat him." Bunny said to the woman, leaving Merida and the other boy standing awkwardly next to them.

The woman's eyes widened. "Pitch sent him?

Bunny nodded, his face adorned with a spiteful frown.

"Bunny," The woman scolded softly upon seeing his expression. "You can't blame Jack, you know it's not his fault."

"It's not that, how did they know that we'd found 'em?"

* * *

 **Ta-da!**

 **So! Our first taste of dark!Jack! Future scenes with him will be way more awesome, I promise**

 **And this chapter didn't have much else in it besides that, but the only Season left in Rapunzel, so things are gonna get hectic with the Guardians and the bad guys both trying to get to her first.**

 **Haha, please R &R guys ;P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter, please R &R ;D**

* * *

Pitch's POV

The drastic drop in temperature signaled the arrival of Pitch's special...henchman, he guessed. It fitted; over the years Jack Frost had carried out many deeds for Pitch.

However, when the Winter spirit entered Pitch's lair, obviously without anyone else, it was clear that Jack had failed in his task, for the first time in fact.

Jack didn't look as ashamed or worried as Pitch would've liked, probably because he knew that Pitch couldn't really do anything to him. Jack had learned by now that he was essential to Pitch's plan, though the plan was still unknown to him.

"What happened? Where is the Summer spirit?" Pitch demanded as Jack approached him.

Jack narrowed his golden eyes in contempt. "The Guardians showed up. That filthy rabbit took the girl while I had to fight the others."

Pitch sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He supposed that the Guardians were going to intervene sooner or later. At first they had been trying to stop Jack, but they must have finally realized what Pitch had been doing.

Which meant that the Guardians had two of the four Seasons. Pitch had Jack, who was the only recognized spirit among the four, and that counted for something, but he couldn't afford to lose Spring.

"Go to Gothel's tower and help her keep Spring from the Guardians. And _do not_ fail me this time, Frost."

Pitch glared at Jack's signature smirk. The boy nodded once in response to the Nightmare King's orders, then twirled his staff and exited the lair.

The Boogeyman knew that Gothel had the fourth Season wrapped around her little finger, but the young girl was gullible, and Gothel couldn't fight to the level that Jack and the Guardians could.

He knew Jack could get there before the infernal Guardians of Childhood did, and they were no match for Jack, even with Summer and Autumn. Those two didn't even know what they were.

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel started with her chores at seven in the morning, just like she always did.

Her mother had been out since much earlier, and Rapunzel needed to make sure that the tower was clean and tidy when she got back. After all her mother did for her, doing the chores was the least she could do.

After finishing the cleaning, Rapunzel stood by the window, the only place where she could get a glimpse at the world beyond the tower walls.

The dusting of white snow looked beautiful, glistening in the sun, but Mother had told her what snow was truly like. Snow whipped around in powerful winds, causing powerful storms that buried everything in white, infecting people with bitter cold.

Just seeing the snow down there used to scare her, knowing that it was potentially harmful to her. She used to beg Gothel not to go out when there was snow, but the older woman had always said that the substance wouldn't hurt her, and so far she had been right.

Sighing, Rapunzel leaned on her elbows. Pascal was hiding somewhere, probably trying to find some amount of warmth, so she was all alone. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long until her mother came home.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, staring into the valley, but she eventually went back to her room to read another book.

"RAPUNZEL! Let down your hair!" Rapunzel finally heard her mother's voice calling to her.

She smiled and sprinted down the small flight of stairs. "Coming Mother."

Rapunzel looped her long locks through the hook above the window, and then threw the remaining seventy feet of blonde hair to the ground for her mother. Feeling the familiar weight of the other woman, Rapunzel began to pull her up.

When her mother reached the top, she stepped onto the window sill and into the tower, sweeping her daughter into a fleeting hug.

"Darling, won't you sing for me? I'm terribly tired." Gothel asked, her voice sugar sweet.

Rapunzel smiled, "Of course." She dashed to get the stool and the hair brush and then knelt in front of Gothel, allowing her mom to brush her golden hair as she started to sing.

Rapunzel didn't know why her hair glowed when she sang, but it could heal and restore youth, and it was the reason she had to stay in the tower. Thieves would stop at nothing to get something as valuable as her hair.

As her song came to an end, she heard the wind outside begin to howl as it strengthened. The air grew steadily colder, and Rapunzel saw her mother's face darken.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Gothel asked herself, standing and walked over to the window. "Rapunzel, be a dear and close the sunroof? We don't want the cold coming in."

Rapunzel silently obeyed, wondered who Gothel had been talking about. Who had been here?

Just as Gothel grabbed the window shutters in order to close them, a powerful gust of air pushed her back and a figure floated inside.

While Gothel glared at it, Rapunzel was staring wide-eyed.

Was this a boy? She had seen men before-sometimes Mother bought these two men to the tower with her, and she would ask her to heal any injuries they had-but this slim figure was nothing like those two huge, imposing men.

Were all boys as good-looking as this one, or did she only think he was good-looking because she had never seen another boy before? Was it usual for people as young as him to have white hair? And she was pretty sure that people also weren't supposed to have gold eyes. She was _positive_ that people weren't supposed to be able to fly.

Involuntarily, she moved to stand behind her mother.

"What do you want, Frost?" Gothel asked the boy, her voice thick with barely concealed dislike.

"Wow, and here I was thinking you'd be glad to see me," the boy smirked, but he seemed to drop his joking demeanor at Gothel's unimpressed expression. "Pitch sent me to help you protect her from the Guardians."

Gothel scowled. "And what makes him think that I need help?"

The boy laughed and shook his head. "We both know that you're no match for them. You may claim to be a witch, but even you can't compete with their magic."

"What is he talking about Mother?" Rapunzel gripped the older woman's arm. That boy had said that her mother was a witch?

Gothel patted her head soothingly. "Nevermind him, my Flower. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

Shrugging at her words, the strange boy made an impossible leap to sit in the rafters, letting the staff he held hook around his leg and dangle from his thigh.

Rapunzel stared open-mouthed. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she had a terrible feeling. As much as she loved her mother, she was somehow getting the impression that maybe she couldn't completely trust her, and she _definitely_ had to keep an eye on that boy sitting above her.

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Hiccup and the red-haired girl (he thought he'd heard Tooth call her Merida?) were led from the Globe room by the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

He still couldn't believe that they were in Santa's Workshop, that the Guardians really existed. He didn't know what was happening, exactly, but Tooth had assured him that they would explain to him and Merida and soon as Spring arrived, whoever 'Spring' was.

Merida looked even more confused than he felt, but she definitely didn't ask as many questions.

Hiccup wanted to know why they were here, what they were supposed to do, what did the Guardians mean when they called them the Seasons?

Biting his tongue for now, Hiccup followed the massive rabbit into another room that was furnished with nothing but a large, round table and chairs. It was obviously some kind of meeting room, like his dad had in the Great Hall at Berk.

"You guys can have a seat, North and Sandy will be back any minute." Bunny gestured for Hiccup and Merida to sit down.

Hiccup just shrugged when Merida shot him a questioning look and they both sat down at the table. They hadn't really spoken yet, but she seemed to be following his lead anyway. Maybe she thought that he actually knew what was going on.

The silence that followed while they waited for the other Guardians couldn't have been more awkward. Bunny had taken a seat but was completely engrossed in painting an egg, Tooth was busy giving orders to the fairies that were constantly coming in, and Merida didn't look like she really wanted to talk.

Now, Hiccup just wished that he hadn't been forced to leave Toothless in the stables with the reindeer.

Suddenly, the door opened again and Sandy and North entered the room. They were both brushing ice off themselves, but they seemed ok.

"Are you guys alright?" Tooth asked immediately, zipping over and checking them over in a very motherly fashion.

"We are fine Tooth," North assured her, and Sandy gave an encouraging thumbs up.

The two Guardians turned towards Hiccup and Merida. "Merida DunBroch, I am North, and this is Sandy. I am glad you are ok!"

Merida gave a small smile, obviously not sure how to reply.

The Guardians each sat down, and Hiccup finally decided that he need answers. "So, what's going on?"

"You will find out when we get-" North started to say, but Merida cut him off.

"No, Spring can wait," She interjected, taking a guess at what the man had been trying to say. "Why did you bring me here?"

The four spirits exchanged a glance, before coming to a decision.

"It's a very long story," Tooth said, and they told Hiccup and Merida about the Prophecy of the Four Seasons, and about the Boogeyman, Pitch Black. They also explained their jobs as the Guardians of Childhood.

Hiccup remembered his dream, the voice had told him about a Prophecy as well.

"And what about Jack Frost? How does he fit into all this?" Merida asked when the spirits failed to mention the Winter boy.

Tooth suddenly looked really sad. "Jack is like you, he's the Spirit of Winter."

"So, he betrayed us?" Hiccup asked with a scowl.

"No!" The fairy hurriedly argued. "No, what he did isn't his fault. We think he's under some kind of mind-control."

Merida scoffed. "He didn't seem like he was bein' controlled. He looked very aware of what he was doing when he attacked yer."

"It's called Corruption." Bunny explained. "Pitch's nightmare-sand can infect your mind with fear, he made Jack into one of his Fearlings."

Hiccup's scowl changed into a concerned frown. "Can we get him back?" Usually, he was pretty sure prophecies didn't come true without all the members.

"We think so, and that is where you guys come in. With Spring's help, we are hoping you will be able to free him from Pitch's control." North nodded.

"But, how do you know that we're the Seasons?"

Sandy made a moon above his head out of golden sand.

"Man in Moon told us, he chose you, just like he chose us."

The Man in the Moon? _You have been chosen, and the Moon doesn't make mistakes._ Had the moon spoken to him in his dream? "So you already know who Spring is?"

The Guardians nodded hesitantly. "Yes we do, but so does Pitch. One of his allies has the girl locked away. And we have no doubt that he would've sent Jack to get her, like he sent him to get you, Merida."

"So we have ta get ta her before he does?" Merida asked.

"It is not that simple. We do not know if Pitch has gathered other forces, it would be foolish to go get the girl without knowing if it was just Jack we would be fighting. Even then, Jack has become more and more powerful over the years. Pitch has given him believers, and we have no hope of beating the boy."

"Then what's the point? You dragged us out to the middle of nowhere and told us we're some kind of elemental spirit, then you say that the other two members of our kind are stuck on the bad side, and that they're too strong for us to beat?!" Hiccup demanded.

Bunny shook his head. "No, we're not strong enough. But _you two_ are."

* * *

 **Eh, uneventful chapter but I hope you guys like it anyway!**

 **I'm not sure if I want to start with the Jackunzel bonding next chapter, or if I want Rapunzel to avoid him? Let me know what you think :D**

 **Please R &R! ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel had quickly retreated to her room after her mother had walked off. Even though Gothel was still in the tower with her, she couldn't shake the ominous feeling that she, or someone else, was in danger.

That boy sitting in the rafters hadn't helped settle her fears. He had said that he was here to protect her, but from what? Rapunzel wanted to ask him about it, but she couldn't find the courage. She had never interacted with a boy her age before, what would she say?

Pascal was curled up on her bed, sound asleep. Rapunzel lay down beside the chameleon, careful not to wake him. Ever since the boy had arrived, the tower had steadily gotten colder, and Rapunzel was worried that it would be too cold for her reptilian friend. He couldn't even sit by the fireplace while Gothel was around either.

Knowing that there was another person, someone new, sitting in the room just beyond the curtain, Rapunzel's curiosity was beginning to get the better of her.

Rapunzel hopped off the bed, giving Pascal a light pat on the head, and went back down the stairs.

The boy was still sitting up in the roof, staring at the window, like a guard dog. When he heard her walking over, his unsettling golden gaze flickered towards her before fixing back on the window.

"Hey Blondie," He smirked.

She frowned at the name, but ignored it. "What's your name?"

He grinned down at her. "Jack, Jack Frost."

That made her stop. He was Jack Frost? _The_ Jack Frost? Why was he here? "I-I'm Rapunzel."

"I know."

She didn't even bother asking how he knew her name, Gothel had probably mentioned it to him. "What are you doing here? What are you protecting me from?"

Jack considered her, and she shifted uncomfortably. He didn't say anything for a moment.

"They're other spirits like me." His voice took on a cold, bitter tone. "They claim to protect children, but its all a lie, they don't care about us."

"How do you know?"

Jack looked away. "They abandoned me, Rapunzel. They are selfish and arrogant, and I promise you that I won't let them take you."

Rapunzel, making a split second decision to trust him, flung a length of her hair up into the rafters. Firmly secured around the plank of wood, Rapunzel used it to pull herself up as well, sitting on the beam across from the winter spirit.

"But why are they after me?" She hoped he couldn't detect the fear in her voice. Were they after her because of her hair?

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You ask a lot of questions, Blondie."

Rapunzel shrugged. "I'm a curious person. Why are they after me, I have a right to know."

"It's a long story," Jack began, his lips tugging into a small smirk.

"One that you are not allowed to share, Frost."

Mother Gothel's interruption made Rapunzel jump, but Jack merely rolled his eyes. The older woman was starring up at them, dark disapproval written on her face directed at Jack. "Come down from there, Rapunzel, you'll hurt herself."

Rapunzel suspected that her mother simply wanted her to get away from Jack, but she wrapped her hair around the beam again and lowered herself down. Once her feet had touched the floor, Gothel placed her hands upon her shoulders.

"Dear, I want to stay in your room. And don't talk to Jack, he cannot be trusted, ok?" Her words were whispered in an attempt to keep the spirit from hearing. No matter that they knew each other somehow, Gothel clearly didn't like the boy.

Rapunzel nodded obediently, feeling a slight regret as she ascended the stairs. At least Mother wasn't mad at her.

* * *

Jack's POV

Jack starred down at Mother Gothel in amusement as she berated him about keeping away from her 'daughter'. The old witch had become so wrapped up in the lie she had created that she now believed it herself.

"I know that Pitch sent you to keep the Guardians away, but if you tell her anything, you will jeopardize everything we have worked for."

Jack rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, his breath coating the wood in a light layer of frost. "You won't be able to keep her under your control forever, Gothel. Sooner or later, she'll find out on her own."

"And why would that matter to you?" Gothel snapped.

"I don't approve of things being locked away," Jack shrugged. _Oh yeah, what about me? You're keeping me locked away,_ Jack gritted his teeth in annoyance. All these years, the stupid voice of his other self had remained in his head, protesting against everything Pitch had ordered him to do.

The voice had no control, the old Jack wasn't strong enough to fight back against the corruption, but he was _always_ there.

 _How hypocritical of you._ "Shut up." He whispered fiercely.

Gothel looked at him strangely, but she turned away and exited the room, leaving Jack to keep watching the window.

Jack almost wished that the Guardians wouldn't come. As much as he enjoyed kicking theirs asses, the voice always got more persistent, sometimes even screaming at the other spirits to help him, completely oblivious to the fact that they couldn't hear him.

But if there was a one thing the old Jack couldn't deny, it was that the Guardians really did abandon them, they didn't care for them.

Jack pulled his legs up and balanced on his haunches, his staff hanging from his fingers. Adjusting his grip on the wooden stick, he fired a small bolt of ice at the window frame. It was the only entrance, and if the Guardians came and saw the ice, they would probably take the hint and stay away.

Unless they were utterly stupid, which he kind of already knew.

Moments later, and Jack was already beginning to get restless and bored. He had never had much patience, but the anticipation of a confrontation was making him more antsy than he usually was.

Jack didn't know why Pitch wanted this girl, or the other one he'd asked to be retrieved, but Jack didn't like to fail.

 _You already failed._

"No, you failed, and that's why you're locked away." That made the voice shut up for the moment.

Suddenly, Jack felt the Wind dart into the room, tugging insistently at his hair and clothes. Jack moved to the side just as an arrow came zipping through the window, flying past where he had just been and lodging itself into the wall behind him.

Jack gripped his staff and floated to the window sill. "Gothel! They're here!"

The witch ran into the room. She grabbed a jar full of black sand off the shelf above the fireplace and smashed it onto the ground, allowing the sand to form into a Nightmare.

"Call for reinforcements." She told the horse, and it nickered in response before disappearing into the shadows.

Gothel ran up the stairs to Rapunzel's room, and Jack turned back outside with a smirk on his face. Stepping out onto thin air, he slammed the shutters closed and watched in amusement as the red-haired girl shot her arrows and the over-sized rabbit threw his boomerangs in an attempt to stop him from freezing the window shut.

Wind simply swept the projectiles aside, buffeting relentlessly against the Tooth Fairy as she tried to come towards him. Jack tapped his staff against the shutters, and ice quickly filled in all the gaps. They wouldn't be getting inside anytime soon.

"Well, well. You guys are back huh?" Jack sneered, remaining at his vantage point.

As far as he could tell, they were all there except for the Spirit of Autumn. Jack scanned the sky, searching for the boy and his dragon, the Guardians were probably hoping that he didn't know about the beast and were trying to surprise him.

Seeing no sign of the dragon but deciding it didn't matter, Jack turned his attention to the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman. They were the only Guardians able to fly on their own, and that wouldn't do.

He held his staff above his head, bringing it down blindingly fast and sending a stream of ice from its tip. Channeling more of his power, the stream intensified, coating the fairy's wings in ice and causing her to fall to the ground.

Sandy wasn't effected by the frost that covered him like it did to Toothiana, but the spikes of ice the ricocheted off the ground sent both him and the Santa Claus flying.

"Get down here, you filthy ratbag!" The Easter Bunny shouted, throwing an eggbomb. Before Wind could whisk it away, Jack hit it back the way it had come, blowing it up just above the rabbit's head.

Jack swiped his staff in the archer's direction, throwing a shot of his icy magic. She managed to dodge it, but Jack was already in front of her by the time she got up. He swung at her, narrowing his eyes when she blocked with her bow.

Before he could strike again, Bunny hopped towards him. Jack jumped back and fired at the two of them, only to be stopped by a wall of golden sand.

Tooth and North both came out behind him, and he ducked under their swings, tripping Santa Claus up with the hook off his staff. He whirled on the fairy, dodging fists and arrows as he grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground.

Like him, the Guardians weren't injured easily, and she only stayed down for a few moments.

A furry fist connected with Jack's cheek, and a whip of sand twirled around his ankle and flung him into the air. Jack righted himself and his staff began to glow with power. Ice and sleet shot from his conduit, covering the grass where his enemies were standing, as well and coating the lower part of the tower and freezing the small creek.

He could see that Sandy had managed to shield them, but he knew that sand couldn't hold out against his magic for long. Soon, the gold light had disappeared, and Jack stopped the flood of snow.

A pillar of ice stood where the Guardians had, but he couldn't see their silhouettes inside. Cursing, he flew back to the tower. He banged against the shuttered, but he seemed to have frozen them shut too well.

He floated up to the skylight, seeing it was partially open. Using the crook of his staff, he wrenched it open all the way and slipped inside, bolting towards Rapunzel's room.

Gothel was fighting them off as best as she could with her magic, and her charge was staring wide-eyed at her 'mother' and the Guardians.

"Rapunzel!" He called, and her expression filed with relief when she saw him.

Reflexes kicking in before he was hit, Jack stepped aside to avoid the Easter Bunny's strike. "You stay away from her!"

Jack met Bunny blow for blow, both of them fighting to gain the upper hand. Though Bunny was larger and physically stronger, Jack was often too agile for him. And then North and Merida joined the fight while Sandy and Tooth tried to get past Gothel.

Jack kicked off the ground, hooking his staff around Merida's bow and wrenching it from her fingers. He wasn't too happy about being hit over the head with it. North grabbed his leg, and tried to bring him back down.

Swinging his staff again, North was forced to let go in order to avoid the bolt of ice.

Jack flew to the corner of the room, touching down in front of Rapunzel. He offered her an encouraging smile. "C'mon, I'll get you out of here."

For a split second she looked incredibly unsure, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack snaked an arm around her waist so he could hold her up and still use his staff in his free hand.

With Gothel keeping the two airborne Guardians occupied, there was no one to stop Jack from flying out of the room and up through the skylight. Just before they left, Jack saw the Nightmares begin to form out of the shadows.

The Guardians would be too busy fighting the beasts to go after them, and once Gothel knew Rapunzel was safely away from the other spirits, she could use her magic to make a quick getaway.

Jack heard Rapunzel let out a gasp of amazement as they flew out of the tower, and a wide smile spread over her face.

Suddenly, a large shadow swept over them, and Jack heard a strange noise, like something was charging up to fire. He turned in midair just in time to see the black dragon flying towards them.

He cast a shield of ice around them as the dragon fired, his aura of cold keeping it from melting on impact with the flames.

Letting the shield fall apart, Jack flew off as fast as he could go. He knew that Night Furies were the fastest dragons you could find, but even they couldn't keep up with Wind at its top speed.

Gathering Rapunzel's long tresses of blonde hair so they wouldn't slow him down, Jack sped through the clouds, hoping to lose the dragon and its rider in the thick haze.

"Can you see them?" He yelled to be heard over the wind.

Rapunzel looked behind him for a moment, before she looked back at him and shook her head.

Concluding that the rider had turned back to help his friends, Jack adjusted his flight path and headed straight for Pitch's lair.

* * *

 **Ta-da!**

 **I hope you liked it, and don't worry, Hiccup wasn't just slacking off the whole time. I'll explain it in the next chapter ;P**

 **Please R &R! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you like this chapter ;D**

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel clung tightly to Jack, burying her face into his shoulder to shield her eyes from the harsh wind. The cold bit into her skin, emanating from the winter spirit.

For a while before, she had been staring in wonder down at the ground below them, but Jack was flying too fast for her to get a good look. Besides, the feeling of flying was better than the view, no matter what their situation.

Jack hadn't confirmed it, and Rapunzel hadn't asked, but she had guessed that the beings who had broken into her tower were the Guardians. When they had entered her room and she had seen no sign of Jack, she had panicked. She had feared that Jack wouldn't be able to keep his promise, and that she would be taken away from her mother and her home.

"Jack! Where are we going?!" She yelled over the thunderously loud wind.

The winter spirit gave her a smile. "To my master's place. He'll help to keep you safe."

Rapunzel didn't know what it was that made her want to trust him, but at the same time she had a nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her that he was bad news. But then, she'd gotten the same feeling about her own mother, so she was quick to dismiss it.

Before she knew it, she felt Jack start to slow his break-neck speed, angling down towards the ground. Suddenly, flying didn't feel so great anymore.

Even though Jack had slowed down, they were still approaching the rock-hard ground at a pace too fast for her liking. She let out a quiet yelp and turned her head further into Jack's icy cloak, prepared for the worst.

All at once, the wind disappeared and Rapunzel's bare feet touched the snow covered ground. Rapunzel gasped at the sensation of her skin touching snow for the first time.

Looking around her, she saw that the entire clearing where they'd landed with dusted with white, the sky was gathering with grey clouds and a light breeze swept through the trees.

Jack grinned at her expression and beckoned for her to follow him as he turned around. In front of them was a small lake, its surface completely frozen over. The area was completely deserted and most of the plants were bare of foliage because of the harsh cold.

Rapunzel followed Jack through the barren woods, frowning when he came to a stop in front of a rotting bed frame sitting in the middle of nowhere.

Under the bed, a hole reached down into the darkness. Jack gestured for her to jump in. "Do you want me to go first?"

Rapunzel did want him to go first, but she swallowed her nerves and moved past him.

Taking a breath and looking into the hole, Rapunzel didn't give herself time to wonder what was down there before she jumped.

* * *

Hiccup's POV

"Are you guys alright?" Hiccup asked in concern, swinging down off of Toothless' back.

Merida and the Guardians had traveled back to the valley surrounding the tower, most of them trying to remove the ice from their clothes, feathers and fur.

"Hiccup!" Bunny exclaimed. "Why aren't ya chasin' after Frost?"

"I tried, but he was too fast, and I heard you guys yelling, so I just-"

North put a hand on his shoulder. "It does not matter, we will have another chance."

The plan had been to keep Jack out of the tower, but at the start of the battle, Hiccup and Toothless had found themselves surrounded by monstrous looking horses, their hides rippling like they were made of sand.

Hiccup had no doubts that the substance was Pitch's nightmare-sand.

He was drawn back into the conversation when he saw Sandy begin to make an incredibly fast story of golden pictures above his head. Hiccup didn't understand what the Sandman was trying to say, but the Guardians obviously.

"Yes, we shall go back to pole and come up with new plan, to the sleigh!"

Hiccup mounted his black dragon, following his new friends to the woods where Santa Claus had hidden his sleigh.

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When the team arrived back at the pole, Toothless whined in annoyance at being forced to stay in the stable again, but Hiccup promised to get him later.

They made their way through the workshop towards the room where were using as a sort of war-room.

"So, how are we going to get Rapunzel back?" Tooth asked once they were all seated in a chair.

Hiccup felt beyond guilty for letting Jack get away with the girl. It had been up to him to intercept the spirit if he got past the Guardians, and he had failed, leaving poor Rapunzel in Pitch's hands.

Merida frowned. "Before we get ta that, why has Pitch been controllin' Jack this whole time? Why didn't he just kill 'im?"

"Spirits are hard to kill, especially elementals like Jack."

Hiccup pursed his lips. "But he can die?"

Bunny considered them for a moment, "Yes, but he'd regenerate eventually. Killin' a spirit is sorta just like hiting a 'reset' button-" He stopped, his eyes widening like he'd just had an idea.

Hiccup caught on almost immediately. "Would killing Jack break Pitch's hold on him?"

"Possibly, but there is a reason Pitch never even tried to get rid of him, he's hard to kill. That's why he wants you two now, are easier to eliminate while still human." North interrupted.

"And he has Rapunzel!" Merida shouted in alarm. "He'll kill her!"

Tooth shook her head. "I don't know why Gothel had her locked in a tower, but I don't think she'd let Pitch kill her yet."

"Either way, mate, we have to get her out of there as soon as possible."

Sandy made a symbol above his head, resembling prison bars.

"Sandy's right; the place is filled with shadows, Pitch would know we were there as soon as we arrived, even with Bunny's tunnels." Tooth said.

"And Pitch no doubt has other reinforcements." Bunny added.

The six of them hadn't even been to beat Jack on his own, let alone him, Pitch's nightmares and the rest of his allies, whoever they may be.

"So what do we do?" Merida demanded.

They all seemed to be at a loss. Hiccup was usually a very good planner, scheming was his thing, but he couldn't think of anything that would work in this situation. "Is there any way that she could get out on her own?"

Bunny nodded. "There is, but Rapunzel went with Jack willingly, he somehow got her to trust him. She probably doesn't think that she's in danger."

"Not yet, hopefully she's smart. Pitch isn't exactly a trustworthy person." Tooth consoled, obviously trying to ensure herself.

Hiccup looked over at Merida, meeting her gaze. "Would he recognize me and Merida?"

"Maybe not, but he'd know you were there."

"Could we act as a diversion? If we keep some of Pitch's forces occupied, you guys could tunnel in and get Rapunzel."

The Guardians shared a glance, seemingly having a silent conversation. "I think that might work."

* * *

Pitch's POV

The Nightmare King stood beside the globe in his lair, watching the lights of believers as nightmares galloped around him.

The lights were flickering steadily, much more numerous than they had been twenty years ago. Pitch had kept his promise to Jack, the winter spirit was feared by children all over the world. And their fear made the Boogeyman stronger.

"Pitch!" A female voice demanded. Gothel strode into the room, looking a little worse for wear. There were tears in her cloak, and her black hair was streaked with grey. The magic she had used had taken a toll on her. "Where's Frost?"

Pitch gave Gothel a smile. "I believe they just arrived."

As his sentence ended, Jack Frost walked in, a blonde girl at his heels.

Her peridot eyes brightened when she saw Gothel, and she ran past Jack to embrace her 'mother'. Pitch nodded at Jack, signalling to the boy that he was pleased at the success.

Now they just had to convince the girl of their cause, and keep her away from the Guardians. Then, they would did Summer and Autumn.

"Are you alright, my flower?" Gothel crooned, running her hands over Rapunzel's hair. Pitch rolled his eyes; the woman was obsessed with her youth.

Rapunzel smiled shyly. "I'm fine Mother."

"The Guardians didn't follow you, did they?" Pitch questioned, and both Jack and Gothel shook their heads. "Huh, shame."

He had hoped that they would simply rush in to try and rescue the blonde-haired girl, but apparently even they weren't that stupid. "No matter. Jack, keep watch."

The Winter boy gave him a mock salute, disappearing from the room. Rapunzel watched him go, and Pitch thought she saw the slightest hint of worry in her gaze. He could feel her fear, her fear of being left alone with the two adults.

"Rapunzel, this is Pitch Black." Gothel said.

Pitch bowed sardonically, causing Gothel to roll her eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." He looked pointedly at the witch.

Rapunzel's eyes widened slightly at the implication; surely her mother hadn't told this man about her hair.

Gothel glared at Pitch, but he only smirked in response.

Pitch never felt happy exactly, but he couldn't have been more excited in that moment. His plan was starting to come together perfectly; he had Winter and Spring, and the Guardians were still unaware of his other allies.

No doubt, the other meddlesome spirits would come soon to get the girl, and Pitch would be ready.

Completely ignoring the nightmare king, Gothel had turned to her charge. "Darling, I'm exhausted. How about we go to our room and you sing for me?"

"Of course Mother," Rapunzel replied, sending a suspicious glance Pitch's way.

Just as Gothel started to lead Rapunzel away, Pitch felt another presence enter the lair of shadows.

He didn't recognize the beings, so they were definitely trespassing. They were here for the Spirit of Spring, but there was only two of them.

"JACK!" Pitch called, he voiced carried through the darkness. Moments later, the white-haired teen touched down in front of him. "There are two intruders in the east wing. Dispose of them."

* * *

 **I am _SO_ sorry! I hit a complete writing slump, but I swear next time I'll update sooner. **

**So, this chapter is a little bit short, but the next one will be action packed indeed ;)**

 **Please R &R! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter xD**

* * *

Merida's POV

Merida had travelled via the Easter Bunny's tunnels before, and though the feeling was nothing compared to North's snow globes, the trip still made her feel a bit dizzy. Knowing she wouldn't have long to recover, she shook her head and attempted to stand, accepting Hiccup's offer of help.

Helping each other to their feet, Merida brought out her bow. In only moments Pitch would discover their presence and send someone to get rid of them. Secretly, she prayed that he wouldn't send Jack.

Hiccup brandished a strange-looking sword, and Merida was about to ask him what kind of weapon it was when he flipped a switch and the blade was set alight. Flames danced across the metal, but they didn't creep past the hilt and they did not touch Hiccup's hand.

He hadn't been able to bring Toothless, the dragon would be next to useless in such a small, unfamiliar and ever-changing space.

"Do ya think he noticed us yet?" Merida whispered to the boy as they circled back-to-back.

"I hope so, I don't like waiting."

As if called by his words, a strong wind blew the cold into the room, and the chill seeped deep into Merida's bones. Of course Pitch would send the one person she didn't particularly want to fight.

For all her bravado, Merida knew she wouldn't be able to beat him while she was still human, and yet the Guardians hadn't been able to answer her question of when she and Hiccup would make the ascension to immortality.

She wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ to be a spirit; as much as she and her mother clashed, she couldn't bare to watch her family age and pass whilst she remained young forever.

Merida was bought back to the present when the cold wind got stronger, carrying with it a short burst of evil laughter. Jack Frost floated in, casually balancing his staff across his shoulders.

"Well, what a surprise." He sent them a pearly-white smirk.

Hiccup held out the flaming sword, and Merida silently congratulated his weapon choice. Frost's gaze settled on the fire for a mere second, flashing with contempt.

"Do you think that will stop me? You're hardly the first person who tried to defeat me with fire."

Hiccup wasn't deterred. "This is coated with Monstrous Nightmare saliva. Have you ever come across a Monstrous Nightmare, Frost?"

Jack let out a grating, sarcastic laugh. "You guys are funny, you can't intimidate me with stories of your dragons. To answer your question, Haddock, there isn't a nightmare alive more monstrous than me."

With that last dark statement, Frost's staff was back in his hands, firing blasts of ice. Merida somersaulted to the side, knocking an arrow as she did so and shooting at the winter spirit.

Jack batted it away, swinging his weapon in a wide arc and causing a jagged wall of crystallized ice to leap from the floor, very close to impaling Hiccup.

The dragon rider cut of the tips with his sword, jumping over the wall to get to Frost. Merida assaulted the spirit with arrow after arrow from the back.

Jack knew when he was being cornered and quickly moved back, touching down on the cold stone floor. Frost grew out from under his feet, rapidly growing towards them. Jack advanced just as quick as he'd been forced back, meeting Hiccup hand-to-hand. Hooking the hilt of Hiccup's sword with the crook of his staff, he flung the blade out of Hiccup's grip before he could be touched with the flames.

Abandoning her bow in such closer quarters, Merida pulled a dagger out of a sheath strapped to her upper-arm, intercepting Jack just before he released a bolt of magic.

She threw her arm out in a back-handed swipe, just missing Jack's chest as he leaned away. Merida attacked him relentlessly, being incredibly careful not to slip on the frost spreading from the winter spirit. He easily dodged each of Merida's advances, hardly putting in any effort.

That made her angry, and she pressed forward, striking at the spirit faster than before. She hoped that she would be able to cut Jack's staff in half, but no matter how many times he blocked her with the old piece of wood, it didn't even appear to be scratched.

Merida had managed to keep him distracted long enough for Hiccup to retrieve his sword. Jack turned in time to avoid a stab to his back, moving away from them, golden eyes bright with malice.

Merida's eyes widened as ice formed around the crook of the staff, forming into a blade like a scythe. Without missing a beat, Jack swung at them, the edge of ice blade cutting into the upper-arm before she could get back.

Cold agony flared from the injury, white light flashing behind her eyes at the pain. The biting cold seemed to spread through her blood, travelling to her rapidly freezing heart.

Merida looked in horror down at her arm, feeling sick to the stomach at the sight of the deep gaze, ringed by the frost creeping over her skin. Hiccup rushed over to her, quickly ripping off the bottom of his red shirt and tying it above the wound in a tourniquet.

Jack Frost simply watched in satisfied amusement. He didn't bother moving to attack, he didn't take the chance to finish them off. Merida dreaded to think that he knew she was already done for.

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Hiccup knew that he had to get Merida out of there.

He'd never seen a wound like the one Jack had inflicted, even on Berk were dragon attacks used to be frequent, but he could tell that it wouldn't turn out well for Merida if she didn't get it looked at immediately. Hiccup bound the injury, trying to stop the blood from circulating. Jack had obviously infused some of his magic into his blade, who knew what it would do.

Irrational with worry, Hiccup felt the hate building in his heart. Deep down he knew that it wasn't Jack's fault, it wasn't really him, but if they ever did break Pitch's spell over him, Hiccup didn't see how he could forgive the winter spirit. Besides, if Merida didn't recover from this, the prophecy wouldn't come true anyway.

 _C'mon Bunny, I need a tunnel, now,_ Hiccup begged silently, noticing that Merida was beginning to grow pale.

Jack Frost snickered as he saw the effects of his attack. He was now floating casually in the air, not concerned at all by the fact that Hiccup was still in perfect health. "That's a shame really, it's nothing personal. Just following orders."

"You're sick, and deluded. Pitch is just using you!" Hiccup couldn't help but bite back, grabbing onto Merida's uninjured shoulder to help keep her steady.

Jack raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Really? What makes you think that?"

Hiccup pointed his sword at the spirit. "He's making you do all the dirty work, letting you destroy us for him, and then he'll just toss you aside when he's done."

"I don't think so, Haddock. Pitch and I struck a deal long ago, we're mutual partners; I help him take down the Guardians, and he helps people believe in me. So far he's been true to his words, after all, you can see me."

Hiccup opened his mouth to retort, but Jack wasn't finished yet.

"You claim that we're the bad guys, Hiccup, but everyone needs a bit of fear in their lives. It stops you from doing stupid things. The Guardians never understood that, and though they paint themselves to be righteous heroes who protect the children of the world, they only care about themselves. They protect the kids because if they didn't believe, the Guardians would fade away. And if you have nothing to offer them, they'll toss you aside and ignore you for two hundred years, give or take."

"So that's why you want to kill them, because they ignored you?" Hiccup snapped haughtily. "Believe me Jack, I get what its like to be ignored."

Suddenly the temperature plummeted and the wind picked up as Frost seethed with rage. "Oh you do? It's such a relief that someone else understands what its like to be invisible to more than a hundred years! Do you know how it feels to have a mortal run _straight through you?!_ Do you know what its like, to beg for answers, to long for someone to talk to, to explain what was going on. Hiccup, when I woke up, the moon spoke five words to me before he turned his back and abandoned me. I had figure it out for myself, the only one who was _ever_ there for me was Pitch. So don't you _dare_ tell me that I don't have a reason to hate the Guardians!"

Jack's eyes were almost glowing, sparks of frost were crackling from his staff and his skin, the room was almost overtaken by ice and snow. But Hiccup saw something that surprised him, the spirit's eyes gleamed with angry tears as he screamed in raw, emotional frustration.

"Get out of my sight!" Jack Frost yelled, spinning his stuff and creating a flurry of snow that enveloped Hiccup and Merida.

Hiccup instinctively curled himself around Merida, shielding her from whatever was happening. He squeezed his eyes tight, huddling close to protect against the numbing cold and tearing wind.

And then it stopped, and it was relatively warm. Hiccup looked up to find that they were back at the Pole, sitting in front of the fireplace. Why had Jack sent them back here, why not leave them in some freezing wasteland to die?

Merida shivered in his arms, letting out a few hoarse words. "Hiccup, what happened?"

"I...I don't know." Hiccup stood up, helping the Scot to her feet and letting her use his shoulder for support.

He looked around them, hoping to see some sign of the Guardians, which meant that they hadn't gotten Rapunzel back yet. Which meant that they might have to deal with Jack, and gods was the spirit angry.

Hiccup almost flinched when he thought of the other's words. Shaking his head, he hurriedly tried to get Merida to the infirmary. Even if the Guardians weren't here, surely there was a yeti around here who would know what to do.

He started to yell for someone to help them, when Merida went limp at his side.

"Merida!" He exclaimed, scooping up the girl and dashing to the hospital wing. Catching a glimpse of Merida's cut, he saw the skin surrounding had turned almost black as Jack's ice magic caused it to die, and that the laceration itself was much deeper than it looked.

Trusting instinct and his knowledge of regular cuts, Hiccup grabbed some antiseptic from the first-aid cabinet. The tourniquet seemed to be working in that it was stopping the frozen blood from passing her shoulder, and the injury wasn't bleeding profusely because of the magic.

He set to work on Merida's arm, hoping that the Guardians were arrive soon to help him. He didn't leave to find the yetis until he was certain that Merida's condition couldn't really get any worse.

Hiccup prayed that she would be okay.

* * *

 **Woah, that was deep Jack**

 **So, I actually updated relatively quick (for me, anyway), I really hoped you liked it xD**

 **Please R &R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter! ;D**

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel stared at the four figures now standing in the room with her. They were the same people who had tried to take her at the tower, only now she was alone. Gothel had been in the room next to hers but obviously something had happened to her, and Rapunzel had no way to call Jack.

She looked at the Guardian's in horror. They looked friendly, but that must be to mislead innocents like her.

"Rapunzel, it's ok," The strange hummingbird-lady said. "We just need to talk to you. I'm the Tooth Fairy."

At that, Rapunzel's eyes widened. The _Tooth Fairy?_ But she was a good guy! Looking at the other Guardians, she began to make the connections. The giant rabbit had to be the Easter Bunny, the golden man was Sandman, and the bearded man in the red coat was Santa Claus. "Oh my..."

The Easter Bunny took a step towards her. "Look, I know this may come as a bit of a shock, but Jack and Gothel, they were lying to ya."

Rapunzel suddenly felt dizzy, overwhelmed. The four legendary figures she had known about as a child were standing in her room, telling her that the only two people in this place that she trusted were lying to her. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the world from spinning.

Could she trust the Guardians? "How do you know?"

The Tooth Fairy looked back at her teammates, before turning back to Rapunzel. "I'm the Guardian of Memories, if you want me to, maybe I can show you?"

"Show me what..."

Instead of answering, the fairy reached out and placed two fingers on the girl's forehead. With a bright flash of light, Rapunzel was transported somewhere.

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 _Rapunzel didn't know the room she was in, but it was big and spacious._

 _It was obviously a bedroom. There was a large bed at one end of the room, occupied by two brown-haired adults, both of them fasst asleep. Near the large glass door that opened onto a balcony was a baby's crib._

 _Inside was a baby girl, with wide bright green eyes and flowing blonde hair, much longer than was normal for a child her age. Looking at the baby, Rapunzel felt a pang of recognition. The little girl was her._

 _Rapunzel reached out to brush a lock of her younger self's golden hair, only to gasp when her hand went straight through the baby._

 _Rapunzel stepped away, turning around when she heard the balcony door open._

 _A cloaked figure was standing in the doorway, a hood covering their face. The figure entered the room, striding silently towards Baby Rapunzel. Reaching out a gnarled, wrinkled hand, the figure began to sing softly._

 _"Flower, gleam and glow, let you power shine," As the intruder sang, Baby Rapunzel's hair began to glow, and the wrinkles in the person's hand visibly began to disappear._

 _Continuing to sing the song that Rapunzel knew so well, the figure took out a pair of scissors and tried to cut off a lock of the child's glowing hair. As soon as the person cut the hair, the glow disappeared and the strands turned brown as they lost their power._

 _The figures wrinkles came back, and they seemed to hesitate before snatching up the young girl in the grib and dashing to the balcony. Rapunzel leapt forward, meaning to intercept the kidnapper, but she just phased through them._

 _The baby began to cry and scream, causing her parents to stir. The figure had climbed onto the railing of the balcony when the King and Queen awoke, and the thief turned back just once, the moonlight streaming in to finally reveal their face._

 _Rapunzel stared upon the face of her kidnapper; Mother Gothel._

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Rapunzel opened her eyes, finding herself back in the labyrinth of shadows with the Guardians. It took her a moment for her to comprehend what she had just seen, but when she did understand she didn't feel as upset as she thought she should have.

She was angry. All these years, the horrible woman had raised her only so she could use Rapunzel's gift, fed her all the lies about people who would want to use her, when she was using the girl herself. All these years, Rapunzel kept Gothel young, believing that she was her mother.

Hands clenching into fists, Rapunzel looked at the Guardians. Jack had said that they couldn't be trusted, but he was working with Gothel, he was one of them.

"Get me out of here." She said firmly.

The Guardians each smiled gently at her, obviously relieved at her willingness to leave. The Easter Bunny tapped his foot twice, opening up a hole in the floor. Nodding at her encouragingly, the rabbit gestured for her to jump in.

Remembering when Jack had done the same thing, Rapunzel plunged into the tunnel, but this one wasn't dark or straight down. The Easter Bunny's tunnel swerved and looped and was light with bright lights, the walls covered with beautiful plants.

The Guardians followed behind her, and within seconds they had arrived at their destination. However, Rapunzel didn't even have time to soak in her new surroundings before they were approached by a huge hollering beast.

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Merida's POV

All she felt was pain. It washed her vision with dark spots, made it difficult to breathe, to think. She had hoped that her arm would've gone numb by now, but it was worse than ever.

Merida was completely out of touch with her surroundings, she didn't know where she was or who the the boy that was trying to help her was, though he seemed frustratingly familiar.

It was getting increasingly difficult to stay awake, but she refused to pass out and be consumed by the darkness like before.

By now, the cold had seeped deep into her bones, coursing through her bloodstream. Her heartbeat was slowing, her breathing becoming shallow and raspy.

"Merida...hear me... keep your...don't give up..." She was hearing pieces of conversation around her, but she couldn't comprehend what they were trying to say. The only thing she could understand was pain, the frostbite eating away at her skin, the cold that would consume her no matter how many blankets were covering her body.

Merida searched through the haze for something familiar that she could cling to, but all she saw was blurry figures that lacked definition.

"It's...you're going to be..." A soft feminine voice was murmuring words of reassurance, but Merida didn't know it was.

She let a groan of pain slip from her lips, the only sign that she was functioning at all.

A hand ghosted over her forehead, brushing hair from her face. "Sandy...maybe put her..."

There was a moment of silence, before a new timid voice spoke up. "Actually...I can...heal her..."

Merida felt a delicate hand gently pick up her arm, and Merida gritted her teeth at the flare of agony that the movement caused. Slowly, something was wrapped around the wound that was causing her so much suffering.

A sweet, angelic voice started to sing, but now Merida heard every word. The room was lit up with a golden glow, and Merida felt the pain in her arm begin to disappear. Warmth flooded through her, chasing away the biting cold, restoring Merida's health.

Suddenly she could see again, her chest didn't feel like it was going to collapse in on her, she didn't feel like she was going to freeze from the inside out. Her eyes traveled to the source of the warm light, and she saw a blonde girl singing at her side.

As her song to a close, the light disappeared and the warmth left. Merida watched in wary amazement as Rapunzel removed her hair from Merida's arm, revealing the unmarked skin underneath. Not even a scar.

Merida's eyes widened, her mouth falling open. With nothing but a song, Rapunzel had made a deadly wound completely vanish. "How did ya do tha'?"

"Is that why Gothel kept you locked away?" Tooth asked gently, and Rapunzel simply nodded in response.

North stepped forward and grasped one of Merida's hands between his own. "Merida, we are so sorry for making you fight Jack alone-"

"No," Hiccup interrupted from where he stood at the foot of the bed. "It's not your fault. It was my idea."

Merida noticed that he looked very shaken. She could vaguely recall what had happened between him and Jack before the spirit had teleported them away. "None of tha' matters, we got Rapunzel outta there, and we're all alive."

"She's right, now we can focus on stopping Pitch." Bunny agreed.

Hiccup and North still looked guilty about what had happened, but Merida didn't want pity. She was fine, thanks to Rapunzel. Still, she was alarmed by how close she might've been to death.

* * *

Jack's POV

Jack Frost was about to explode. He seethed with anger and hate. Even worse, his other self and used his brief lack of control to get the filthy humans away.

The temperature in the maze had plummeted to well below zero, and ice covered the walls wherever he passed. Bolts of frost sparked off his skin. He needed to get out of the underground lair.

Shooting out of the tunnel into open air, Jack found himself in the forest, the night sky above him. The full moon was visible through the trees.

In response to his rapidly growing rage, the wind started to howl, black clouds gathered and a thick sheet of snow began to fall. Controlled only by his emotions, a massive blizzard come to life, whipping through the country of America.

Jack let lose a bellowing yell, ripping through the silence. Unable to hold it in any longer, frosted lightning erupted from his staff and hands as he floated high above the ground. The strong winds tore at his stark white hair and clothes, swirling around him in a hurricane of snow. The flashes of ice streamed across the dark sky, a shock wave that seemed to shake the air following soon after.

 _That's it Jack, lose control, let me out,_ the voice taunted him, un-characteristically malevolent. _The boy's right, you know. In the end, everyone will desert you._

"NO!" The blizzard continued to get bigger and bigger. "I HATE YOU!" His scream was drowned out by the ferocious winds. Jack's staff glowed blue, his aura of cold intensifying and freezing anything in the air around him.

 _No one really wants you around, all you do is cause trouble._ "SO DID YOU!"

Jack felt his tight rein on his old self begin to loosen as his mind tumbled into chaos. He couldn't think straight, and his other self was using his mental breakdown to try to get out.

Jack lashed out aggressively, striking a group of nightmares that had followed him out and turning them to dust. The snow storm around him was reaching a catastrophic strength, and still the voice spoke in his head.

 _What's going to happen to us when they cast you out, Jack? Do you even know why you're doing this, does Pitch tell you anything?_ Jack didn't answer, but the voice was right. He didn't know why they were hunting those puny teenagers. _That's because he doesn't trust you, Jack, not really._

Jack didn't care if they trusted him or not! He held the power, he controlled the winter! Without him, their plan (no matter what it was) wouldn't be possible. He was needed, and he was believed in.

 _They don't believe in you Jack, they fear you._ "I DON'T CARE!" He didn't care at all, what was the difference; they saw him, he didn't care why.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" He screamed at the moon when it became visible through the black storm clouds. It was the moon's fault that he was stuck here, harbinger of death and cold, it was his fault that Jack had been ignored and hated for all those years.

Jack screamed louder than ever, his entire body surrounded by a glowing blue light as he let out a enormous wave of power, sending out spikes and bolts of frost and ice, freezing everything in the immediate vicinity.

The voice of his old self fell quiet, retreating to the far corners of his mind. Jack, suddenly exhausted and dizzy, swayed slightly in the air, before he lost consciousness and his staff slipped from his hand.

* * *

 **So this was really just a filler chapter, next one will hopefully explain some things, maybe.**

 **Guys, I'm sure everyone's heard about the terrorist attacks in Paris. I can't even get over how horrible some people can be, to even think of committing these kind of acts makes me feel sick. #PrayforParis**

 **Please R &R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys!**

 **Thanks for the reviews, especially you Orange Cat ;D**

 **Man, I am on a role with this story, like honestly**

* * *

Rapunzel's POV

Rapunzel sat awkwardly with the Guardians and the other two teens. After she had saved Merida's life, the girl had insisted that they stop fussing over her and get back down to business.

Rapunzel still didn't really know what was going on. Why had they all been looking for her, what was Gothel's role in all of this, what did it have to do with Jack? North and Tooth had started to explain things to her, but she was still scared.

Just knowing that the Boogeyman knew about her secret had put her on edge. At least now that Guardians knew too, he and Gothel couldn't use it against her.

"Ok, we need ta work out our next move." Bunny said, leaning forward in his seat.

Rapunzel bit her lip. This was really happening. They were going to plan an attack on Pitch. But Rapunzel didn't know how to fight, and she'd seen Jack fight the Guardians, how could she even hope to defeat him?

Merida rubbed her upper arm, where her wound had been. "Ah say first step is ta get Jack back. We'll need 'im."

Was it just her, or did Rapunzel see Hiccup scowl slightly at the comment?

"Merida is right. We cannot defeat Pitch without him." North agreed.

"But who else are we fighting? Surely Pitch allied himself with someone other than Gothel." Hiccup added. "And I'd rather not go against them without knowing who we're going to have to fight."

Sandy held up two thumbs in agreement.

Tooth's wings fluttered anxiously. "But how do we find that out? We can't go back there."

"Maybe Jack could tell us?" Rapunzel spoke up quietly. "You know, after we...get him back?" She didn't know what they were getting him back from, or why. How could they possibly want to talk with Jack after what he'd done to Merida. After what he'd done to them at her tower?

North nodded. "Yes, he will know."

"But how do we get him back? Will we have to kill him?" Hiccup inquired, and Rapunzel's eyes widened.

"What? No! You can't kill him!" Even if he was a liar, if he was on the bad side, she didn't want him dead.

Tooth put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, Jack is immortal. He would regenerate."

"That doesn't mean you can just..." She trailed off. "You can't just kill someone because you know they'll come back from it."

Sandy made a series of sand pictures above his head. Rapunzel didn't understand every picture, but she got the general idea that the Guardian of Dreams agreed with her.

"Ok, but what else can we do?" Bunny said. "Not even Sandy's dreamsand worked on 'im."

The Guardians fell silent as they all tried to come up with a solution. Rapunzel debated on whether she should mention her hair, would it work? What were they even trying to do?

"Maybe we should focus on finding him first. I mean, surely he doesn't just stay with Pitch all the time. He'd have to work constantly to keep spring from coming, if we could figure out his flight paths we might be able to intercept him." Hiccup suggested.

"Um, why do we need Jack, exactly? Isn't he an enemy?" Rapunzel asked.

North thought over his response for a moment. "Is very complicated, but Jack is under Pitch's control. He is the fourth member of the prophecy we were telling you about."

Guilt swelling inside her, Rapunzel immediately banished all the bad thoughts she'd had about the winter spirit. Determination set in, she felt an overwhelming urge to help him. Looks like she wasn't the only person who had been used for their abilities.

* * *

Jack's POV

Jack came to lying in a pile of snow. Opening golden eyes, a blurry figure came into focus, revealing Pitch standing over him.

The Nightmare King extended his hand, and the winter spirit accepted the offer of help. The blizzard had blown out, but the sky was still dark grey and the ground was covered in thick blanket of snow.

Jack was a bit unsteady, but he gripped his staff and stood straight. No way would he let Pitch see just how close he had been to losing it. The older spirit regarded him closely, but he didn't ask how Jack had come to be passed out in the snow.

The two of them made their way back into the lair, and Jack was careful to steer Pitch away from the passages that he'd frozen.

"I trust you got rid of the intruders." Pitch said in a tone that implied that it wasn't a question.

Jack scoffed. "Of course I did. It was those two kids, but I took care of them. I'm sure that poor Merida Dunbroch might not recover from her injuries."

Pitch's lips pulled back into a rare smile, albeit malicious and full of hate. "Good."

They arrived back in the globe room, where Gothel had just arrived. Her black hair was a mess, and she had a streak of blood running across her temple. Her expression was one of anger and maybe a bit of fear.

"Pitch! Rapunzel's gone!"

" _WHAT!?"_ Jack and Pitch yelled in sync. Jack had been calming down, but now his temper flared again. After all the effort he'd given to get the girl and the hag away from the Guardians, the stupid witch had lost her again.

"The Guardians came and took her." Gothel explained, quick to tell them that she was unconscious and that it wasn't her fault.

Pitch Black was seething, but when he spoke his voice was calm and cold. "You are lucky then, that Merida Dunbroch is already dead."

Gothel groaned. "No, she isn't. Rapunzel's hair can heal."

Jack was sure he felt his eye twitch. "You incompetant little-"

"Don't lecture me, boy! It was your job to keep Rapunzel away from the Guardians!"

"And I did my job, hag. It was you who lost her, not me!"

Pitch snapped. "ENOUGH!"

Gothel glared, her grey eyes flashing. "And _you,_ you could've sent your nightmares. I'm sure you were aware of the Guardians' presence."

"I was aware of intruders, and I sent Jack to dispose of them. And he did." Pitch said, his eyes challenging her to question him further.

Jack smirked. Pitch wasn't by any means the leader of their alliance, but he certainly held the most influence, and none of them could deny it. This had, after all, been his idea.

"He may have, but now Rapunzel will heal whatever injuries they had, and they will come after him next," Gothel pointed at Jack.

"Pfft," Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm insulted that you think the Guardians would beat me." He would've thought that he'd proved that he was much stronger than them by now. However, he was confused about what Gothel was trying to say. Why on earth would they want him?

"It's no matter, we'll just get the girl back." Pitch interrupted, earning a snobby snort of laughter from the old woman.

"You think she'll come back?" She took a step towards them, her expression starting to turn into one of desperation. "No, she won't, which means that I'll start to age again, do you know what will happen then?"

"You'll turn to dust?" Jack guessed. "Good."

Gothel snarled in response. Words couldn't even describe how much the two of them loathed each other. The witch reached into the folds of her cloak and pulled out a long dagger, holding it threateningly towards the winter spirit.

"You better watch what you say, Frost," She sneered, but Jack was unimpressed. "And Pitch? You should learn to control your slave better."

Jack lashed out and grabbed onto Gothel's wrist. Channeling his powers through his hand, the sleeve of Gothel's began to turn to ice. "I am _not_ a slave,"

The ice began to creep past Gothel's shoulder towards her neck, but Pitch put a hand on his shoulder. "Jack, a nightmare just informed me that some of the snow is melting in England, perhaps you should fix that?"

Narrowing his eyes, Jack reluctantly released his hold on Gothel's arm. Shooting her an icy glare, Jack turned around and flew back out of the lair.

* * *

Hiccup's POV

To say that Hiccup was nervous to face Jack again was a bit of an understatement. He was still filled with guilt about what had happened to Merida, even if she claimed that she was fine and hated that they kept apologizing to her.

It hadn't taken them long to figure out Jack's flight patterns (the Guardians had many friends who were more than happy to share information), but they had also been told that Jack had already made his rounds recently.

The only way that they concluded would get him to come back, was to melt the snow. They had guessed that Jack could sense which areas needed snowfall, just like Tooth could sense when someone had lost a tooth, or how Bunny could sense people's hope.

While Tooth and Sandy had to quickly do some work, Hiccup and North worked together to figure out the best to apprehend the rogue winter spirit. Meanwhile, Merida and Bunny were helping Rapunzel learn to defend herself. Predictably, she hadn't really wanted to go, but North had claimed that it was essential that all the Seasons be there.

Hiccup was happier more than ever that he had made so many adjustments to Toothless's saddle and his armor. Toothless's plasma blasts would be a vital tool in the fight against Jack Frost, so it was lucky had designed the leather to be more suitable for winter flying.

Of course, any ice would just melt off of his scales, but now the saddle was made so that the buckles wouldn't freeze over and break, and that the moisture wouldn't seep into the leather.

"Ok, where should we do this?" Hiccup asked, looking down at the map that North had spread out on the table.

North stroked his beard contemplatively, studying the map. "Hmm, some place that is very populated, we need him to notice."

"Yeah, but we don't want civilians around."

"Indeed...what about England. Very populated but many remote areas."

Hiccup nodded in agreement, and they stood to notify the rest of the group.

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Hiccup sat atop Toothless's back, waiting in the now snow-free English plain. His sword was in-hand; he usually preferred to use his shield, but the sword was his most useful weapon against Jack.

Merida was armed with a new quiver of arrows, Bunny had his boomerangs and egg-bombs at the ready, North was holding twin swords. Sandy had created whips out of dreamsand, and Rapunzel held long tresses of her hair. Tooth also had swords in her hands, as well as several mini fairies at her side.

After the snow had melted, they had waited for little over twenty minutes before the weather grew increasingly colder.

Clouds began to gather in the sky, a freezing wind tore across the plain and snow began to fall. However, there was no sign of the spirit. Hiccup was beginning to think that Jack wasn't there, when he heard laughing carried on the wind.

Jack Frost was here.

* * *

 **Well, I'm not sure about the ending, but oh well.**

 **I actually find Rapunzel really hard to write, cause like she isn't stupid but she's still pretty naive. And she is really determined but she just follows Gothel's every word. I don't know, maybe you can give me some tips?**

 **Please R &R ;D **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! xD**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Jack's POV

His day was just getting worse and worse by the minute.

Jack scowled darkly when he laid eyes upon the Guardians, who were standing with weapons at the ready. He gritted his teeth when he saw that Dunbroch was perfectly fine, though he was slightly appeased when he saw that she had a bit of fear in her eyes.

Seeing Haddock there also got on his nerves, after having a near break-down following their last confrontation.

Jack approached them, quickly wiping the irritated expression off his face. He wouldn't let them know just how much everything was pissing him off. He hefted his staff as his feet touched the ground, fifty feet away from them. The Night Fury curled his lips and snarled at him.

Jack saw that all of them were armed in some way, even little Rapunzel. He sneered, they really thought she could beat him with her hair?

"What do you want now?" He asked, his voice filled with venom.

North pointed a large sword at the winter spirit. "We cannot let you continue the winter any longer, Jack."

Jack gestured around him with the staff. "So what? You're just going to run around melting all my snow? I can keep this snowfall coming much faster than you could destroy it, why do you think the spring sprites gave up trying?"

He was right; for years the spring spirits had worked themselves silly trying to continue nature's cycle, but Jack had never given them the chance. He was just too fast for them, and it took too much effort for them to keep trying.

The Tooth Fairy fluttered closer to him. "Jack, you don't have to do Pitch's bidding anymore. We can help you."

 _C'mon Jack, let them help you._

"I don't need help," He replied, to both Tooth and the voice.

Why did everyone keep calling him Pitch's slave? He was a free spirit, and he was working with the Nightmare King of his own accord. Even before Pitch came to him, he hadn't let other spirits push him around. They didn't like him, granted, but he had never let them beat him down.

Jack laid his staff over his shoulder, hoping that his next comment would strike a chord. "Besides, it's not like I ever needed help from you before."

His voice was thick with sarcasm, and he saw a look of regret flicker across the Tooth Fairy's face. It annoyed him to no end, how the Guardians could act so high and mighty after they ignored him for so long. They acted like he didn't have a legitimate reason to hate them.

"Jack, please stop. What you're doing is not right." North pleaded, as if he could appeal to Jack's sense of righteousness. Jack knew it wasn't right; he'd been told countless times that the seasons had to follow a cycle in order to keep balance, he just simply didn't care anymore. He'd just tipped that balance in his favor.

He shrugged in response, calling down a light snowfall to make a point. "If I really cared I would've let spring come."

Bunny's fists clenched. He must have taken it personally, considering he was a spring spirit himself, in a way. Rapunzel, too, got an odd look in her doe eyes, seemingly taking offense, though Jack had no idea why.

"Look, you got what you wanted, you got Rapunzel. I don't know why you insist on following me around, but just this once I'm gonna let you go." He offered, narrowing his eyes, daring them to say no.

 _So lenient Jack, what bought this on._ The voice taunted. _You wouldn't happen to actually care about them, would you?_

Jack was really getting sick of that voice. His old self hadn't been at all malevolent, but it was rude enough and knew exactly what to say to get on his nerves. Of course Jack didn't care about the Guardians and the three useless mortals, but it was getting increasingly difficult to ignore Old Jack's voice.

He waited expectantly, but the Guardians didn't move. Rolling his eyes, Jack pointed his staff at them. "Fine then, if that's how you want it."

The aged piece of wood in his hand glowed bright blue for a moment before his power was released. A bolt of ice fired from the tip, one so large that it gave no indication of how drained Jack really was after the blizzard.

His opponents managed to dodge out of the way and advanced to attack; Bunny hurled his boomerangs, Merida fired an arrow. Tooth and Sandy flew at him, Rapunzel flung tresses of hair. Hiccup's dragon bounded forward, unfurling massive black wings and taking to the sky.

Jack adjusted his grip on his staff, bending his knees to jump into the wind, but he forced to move back by the dragon. The beast fired at him every time he made to fly off, and Jack was left no choice but to stay on the ground to avoid being burnt by the plasma blast.

Oh well, he didn't need to be airborne to defeat them.

Clenching his jaw, he swung his staff and shot ice at the dragon, noticing Hiccup's hasty action as he flicked his foot and adjusted the position of the black beast's prosthetic tail.

Feeling a smirk creep across his face, Jack pointed at the tail, sending out a flash of ice and freezing the contraption solid. The dragon managed to stay in the air for a moment longer before it was forced to land, and rather ungracefully at that.

Before he could advance further, he was intercepted by one of North's swords. Jack blocked the blow with his staff, ducking under the Russian's arm and jabbing his elbow into his side.

The blow didn't do much to injure a man of North's size, but it provided a good enough distraction to allow Jack to leap into the sky. As soon as his feet had left the ground, Tooth had flown at him with lightning speed.

He parried her strikes, hooking the hilt of one of her swords in the crook of his staff. Sensing that he was about to rip the blade out of her hand, Tooth swung her other sword at his shoulder, forcing him to let go.

"Now Sandy!" Bunny yelled out suddenly.

Jack whirled around, completely ignoring the Tooth Fairy. As he came to face the Guardian of Dreams, a whip of golden sand was flung at him. The sand wrapped itself around his wrist and was pulled tight, restricting the hand that held his staff.

Jack gritted his teeth in annoyance, the golden substance beginning to freeze over, but more sand just replaced whatever he destroyed.

He moved to grab the whip with his other hand, before it too was restrained by lengths of golden hair.

Jack was pulled back down to the ground, and Hiccup immediately ripped Jack's staff from his grip. Even without his conduit, snow started to fall heavier, and the ground around him was covered in a layer of frost.

Jack opened his mouth, but before he could even utter a sound, a heavy blunt object crashed into the back of his head, and his vision went dark.

* * *

Hiccup's POV

Jack Frost went limp after Bunny hit over the head with a boomerang, pitching forward. North quickly moved to catch him, lifting the winter spirit into his arms.

Hiccup was almost shocked that they had actually done it. After being so easily defeated by Jack so many times before, it was surreal. Now came the real hard work; trying to free Jack from Pitch's control.

They hurried to get to the sleigh, knowing they had to get to the Pole before Jack woke up.

"Hey wait," Hiccup said. "What about Toothless, Jack froze his tail and he can't fly without it."

Bunny almost looked relieved. "C'mon, you can follow me through one of my tunnels."

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"Alright then, what do we do with him?" Tooth asked as North laid the still unconscious winter spirit on a bed in the infirmary.

"Is there any way to restrain him until we can break Pitch's control?" Bunny crossed his arms over his chest.

Hiccup couldn't help the feeling of fear that rose in his stomach at the thought of Jack breaking out and wreaking havoc in an already cold climate that would only be enhanced by his presence.

This wasn't a simple matter of taking Jack's staff away.

Hiccup still held the old crooked staff after he grabbed it from Jack. The frost and ice that covered it in its owner's grip was lost as soon as Hiccup took it, and it was hard to believe that such an unremarkable stick could be used as a weapon that caused global disaster and death.

The Guardians shared a look, and Hiccup knew that Merida and Rapunzel both also noticed that the three of them were being left out of something.

It occured to him that the Seasons were all assembled. They were supposed to work together with Jack, even after what he'd done.

 _No, what Pitch made him do._ He reminded himself sternly.

North left the room to go search for the things they'd need, leaving the others standing in the room, nervously hoping that Jack wouldn't wake up. Frost had already started to cover the sheets on the bed he laid on.

Minutes later, North and a few yetis returned with lengths of leather straps that Hiccup guessed had come from the reindeer harness'. The leather was sturdy and thick, the same kind of stuff that Hiccup made saddles from back at Berk.

One of the yetis also held a box of vials containing clear liquids, probably sedatives. Would sedatives even work on an immortal's system?

While Bunny and North were working on securing Jack, Merida touched Hiccup's shoulder. He turned around to see her and Rapunzel looking at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Hiccup, do ya know what the prophecy says?" Merida questioned.

Hiccup pursed his lips. "No. Why?"

Merida and Rapunzel glanced at each other. It was quite amazing how quickly the two girls had bonded, as even Hiccup could see that they were polar opposites.

"I just got a feeling that there's something important that we don't know." Rapunzel explained, nervously threading her fingers through her hair.

"I don't think Jack even knows tha' he's part of tha prophecy." Merida added, nodding over Hiccup's shoulder at the unconscious spirit. "Haven't ya noticed that he's never mentioned it. It makes sense tha' Pitch would keep it from 'im."

Rapunzel looked down. "I kinda feel bad for him. All these years he's been a prisoner in his own mind and he doesn't know it."

Her words suddenly made Hiccup feel incredibly guilty for resenting Jack Frost for even a moment. He'd never been the kind of person who judged someone before he knew them, and Jack's actions in Pitch's lair had clouded his judgement.

"Well, now we have a chance ta help 'im. And we will, whether he wants it or not." Merida said determinedly.

* * *

 **Oooh, so they finally got Jack, huh? Or did they? Hehe, just kidding, maybe**

 **Please R &R ;D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Woah, so I took a bit of an accidental break from my blitz of updates. Sorry?**

 **Hopefully you all like this, and hopefully I haven't completely lost my mojo ;D By the way, to avoid confusion, in this story Mordu has the ability to shift between his bear and human forms.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mordu glanced down at his feet.

Kneeling down, he sifted his hand through the frozen particles of golden sand scattered through the snow. Tracks were everywhere, some still visible even after the heavy snowfall that Jack had caused.

He could smell the Guardians' presence in the area, but they were all long gone by now.

And so was Jack. Pitch _was not_ going to be happy.

Mordu straightened and spotted the poppy reached up from beneath the carpet of white. They had obviously gone to the Pole, but getting into Santoff Clausen had never been easy, even for the Spirit of Mischief himself.

Reaching into the folds of his cloak, the beastly man took out a jar of Nightmare sand. Thinking of what he was going to tell Pitch, he reluctantly smashed the jar against the ground and let the shadows consume him.

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The Guardians, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel were gathered nervously in the infirmary.

Jack was tightly secured to a bed, still unconscious. With his face relaxed, free of any malicious expression, it was hard to believe that he boy was their enemy.

Merida tried to look at his peaceful face and place him as the spirit who had nearly killed her not a day ago. She tried not to be incredibly afraid of him, struggling to picture him as just a tall, skinny boy. One who wouldn't be seen as threatening back in Dunbroch.

Suddenly, Jack's golden eyes snapped open. He shifted his hands and his feet, and upon discovering them tied, turned his harsh gaze towards them. Frost began to cover the bed and creep across the floors and the walls, but other than that he didn't try to break free.

"Jack, please let us help you." Tooth said softly, taking a cautious step forward.

The winter spirit watched her approach, and Merida bit her lip to keep herself from telling the fairy to stay away from him. Tooth reached her hand out to touch him, and as soon as her fingertips brushed against his hand, he narrowed his eyes and ice began to grow over her fingers.

Tooth snapped her hand back, brushing the freezing ice away.

"You guys really aren't doing yourselves any favors here," Jack said, his voice deadly and cold. "Pitch will come get me, and he'll bring everyone with him."

Bunny had moved in front of Tooth and was staring down menacingly at the winter spirit. "Who else is there?" He demanded, pulling one of North's swords out of its sheath and resting it under Jack's chin.

Jack simply laughed, the metal of the sword frosting over from his mere presence. "You're trying to threaten me? We all know you can't kill me."

"It might take a while, in which you'd be in extreme pain, but we can definitely still kill you."

"My," Jack's eyes widened mockingly. "That isn't something fit for the Guardians of Childhood to say."

Bunny gritted his teeth, and Jack smirked at the pooka's reaction. His smug grin didn't falter when Bunny pressed the sword harder against his throat, drawing a speck of thick, cold, almost black blood.

Merida raised an eyebrow in surprise, she hadn't thought that someone with a frozen heart could bleed.

"Bunny," North snapped. "Is enough." The Guardian of Wonder grabbed his friend's wrist and took his sword back, sliding it into the sheath with its twin.

Merida felt a shiver run down her spine when Jack turned his freaky gold gaze towards her, Hiccup and Rapunzel. "And you guys are here as well? Pitch will be thrilled when he gets here, or as thrilled as he can be I suppose."

His grin widened. "Hi there, Zel, don't you remember what I said to you? What I warned you about?"

Rapunzel crept the tiniest bit towards Hiccup. "Yes, I remember."

"Well then," Jack's grin was wiped clean of his face. "You should know that I wasn't lying to you."

Hiccup grabbed Rapunzel's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Don't even think about trying to win any of us over. We all know what you've done."

"Oh really? I was just doing what I was told."

Sick of his talking, Merida turned to Sandy. "Is there any way ta bring 'im back?"

Sandy shrugged, making a series of sand images that Merida only vaguely understood, but the other Guardians seemed to get it.

"That might work, good idea Sandy." Tooth agreed.

Bunny grinned in grim satisfaction, glad that they'd already established that Pitch's hold on the winter spirit counteracted Sandy's dreamsand. "Its too bad that Jack would have to be unconscious for that to work. Merida, would you mind?"

The large rabbit handed her a syringe filled with liquid, the light of the room reflecting wickedly off the sharp point of the needle. Jack cocked his head slightly to the side as he regarded the object in her hand, and then his gaze hardened with malice when North, Bunny and Hiccup came towards him.

Before they could even get close to the bed it was covered in ice, and Jack pulled at his cuffs uselessly. North stood by the top of the bed, grabbing Jack's head and tilting it to the side, ignoring the spirit's angry shouts and the frost growing over his arms.

Despite North's grip, Jack still struggled to get them off him, and Bunny and Hiccup held his shoulders to keep the surprisingly strong boy completely still.

Receiving a nod from North, Merida stood off to Jack's side and slid the needle into the cold exposed skin of his neck, injecting the sedative. Almost immediately, Jack's fight grew notably weaker, within seconds he was unconscious again.

Tooth looked at Rapunzel. "Sweetie, Sandy had an idea we'd like to try. Would you mind wrapping your hair around his arm?"

Licking her dry lips, Rapunzel nodded her head and joined Hiccup and Merida by Jack's side. Pushing aside the shivers she felt when she touched his skin, Rapunzel pushed up the sleeve of his shirt and looped a section of her hair around the limb.

"Ok, so you all need to hold hands, and Rapunzel will sing her song while Sandy tries to heal Jack again with his dreamsand. It's a long shot, but hopefully Rapunzel's added healing ability, and the power of the other three seasons, will be enough to help Sandy wash out Pitch's hold on him. While he's unconscious there isn't really anything Pitch can do to fight you off." Tooth started to explain.

Merida wasn't entirely sure how it would work, but if the Guardian of Dreams was certain that it was an option, she would give it a shot.

She took Rapunzel's hand in her left, and Hiccup's in the other, Rapunzel and Hiccup each grasping one of Jack's limp hands to complete the circle. Exchanging glances, the three teens nodded at the Guardian, who smiled encouragingly from his new place at Jack's head.

Conjuring up a golden ball of sand, Sandy closed his eyes and placed his hands on Jack's temples while Rapunzel started to sing her special healing song. Merida gasped at the sudden strange sensation of warmth that rushed through her, the cold that attempted to fight it off making her shiver at the same time.

She could hear a familiar voice screaming in the back of her head; Jack. But his voice was different, it wasn't full of hate and anger. It was desperate and betrayed a hint of fear, it was the real Jack, yelling to be released from his impostor's mind.

Hiccup's hand tightened its grip on hers, and she wondered if he and Rapunzel could hear it as well. If they did, the golden-haired girl was ignoring it, singing the words of her special song in her melodic voice.

The room was filled in a bright warm glow, lit by Rapunzel's hair and Sandy's dreamsand, that clashed dramatically against the cold blue ice that shrouded the far wall and portions of the floor.

As Rapunzel's song reached a sort of climax, the chorus of yells in her head in turn became louder, accompanied by a throbbing ache behind her eyes. Biting down on her tongue at the rush of cold that swept through her veins, she quickly glanced up at Sandy, who had his brow creased with deep concentration and determination. She wondered if the Guardians had known Jack before this had happened to him.

Did it make them sad to see him like that? Did they feel guilty?

Rapunzel's song had almost come to an end and Merida didn't feel like anything had changed. Jack's real self still shouted to be released, she was still cold, Sandy was still flushing out Jack's mind with dreamsand.

Jack's face suddenly contorted in pain, his mouth opening in a scream that tore through her mind but not her ears. Hiccup and Rapunzel both cringed as well, the four Seasons sharing the agony of Jack's mental battle.

It was like there was a hammer pounding the inside of her skull, sending sharp bolts of pain across her forehead. Almost unbearable, battling against Rapunzel's healing. A wave of fear crashed over Merida, turning the edges of her vision blank and making her feel sick in the stomach.

Finally, Rapunzel song finished, followed by an abrupt silence and a lack of light. Without Rapunzel to hold it back, the pain that she'd experienced before unexpectedly increased tenfold. Acting out of reflex, both Hiccup and Rapunzel snapped their hands out of Jack's with lightening speed, severing the connection between them.

The agony disappeared, the screaming stopped, the conflicting warmth and cold vanished, and she was just sitting on the infirmary bed feeling terribly exhausted. Sandy still stayed by Jack's side, and the Winter spirit unconsciously pulled against his restraints.

Rapunzel panted slightly, shakily reaching out to unwrap her hair. Healing something had never really taken much effort, but after helping Sandy to cleanse Jack's mind, she was completely drained. Using her hair had never put that much strain on her, though she still wished she could've sung the song again. She didn't want Jack to stay like this, not just for this 'prophecy'.

North, Bunny and Tooth stood transfixed, obviously a bit baffled by what they had witnessed.

"Are you all alright?" Tooth asked, fluttering forward, her face etched with concern.

Hiccup wet his dry lips, staring at his frost-coated hand. "Yeah, fine." That had to have been one of the strangest experiences of his life. "Did it work?"

Aster looked at Sandy, narrowing his eyes in thought. "I'm not sure, mate. Jack's been like this for a while now, it'll take a lot of effort to set 'im free."

"You look tired, maybe get some rest." North suggested, helping Rapunzel with her long tresses of hair. None of them protested, it was true, but Merida did feel a strange reluctance to leave. She wanted to be there when Jack woke up, she wanted to make sure that it worked.

Still, she allowed herself to be shown to a room, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she found that she couldn't keep her eyes open. The exhaustion that had been forgotten for the last few days finally caught up to her, and Merida soon fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Well, this chapter definitely isn't my favourite peace of work, but... its an update I guess.**

 **And I'm not really sure what I was trying to get at with the mind link thing, but this world is magic and anything could happen, so there.**

 **Please R &R, I would really appreciate it, even if this isn't my best ;D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys :D**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Pitch's face contorted slightly in a tiny wince.

For hours now he had been experiencing the feeling, the strain of the Guardians' attempt to clear Jack's mind of nightmare sand. It was like someone was flicking him right between the eyes. He couldn't fight back to keep his control over the spirit (they'd probably rendered him unconscious) and that was the most frustrating thing about it all.

When Jack had not returned from his journey for almost an hour after he was supposed to be back, Pitch had immediately sent Mordu to investigate. And then the demon bear had returned with his news of Jack's possible kidnapping, well, Pitch had been furious.

Gothel had warned him that the Guardians would go after Jack, and now they had all four of the Seasons at Santoff Clausen. Though the witch had wisely kept her mouth shut, Pitch could still see the smug look in her eyes.

 _Fool!_ Pitch mentally scolded the woman. _She's so consumed by her hate for Frost that she doesn't even realize what this does to our plans!_

If the Guardian's broke his hold over Jack, the Winter spirit would let spring return, and his plan would be greatly disadvantaged. If the Eternal Winter ended, people would have hope again, they wouldn't be so subjective to fear, they wouldn't be desperate! Not to mention, he knew that his forces couldn't match the Big Four and the Guardians as it was, it still needed time.

Pitch had seen what Jack could do, he didn't want to imagine what the spirit would be capable of with the added power of being a Season, and then there were the other three as well!

The Nightmare King gritted his teeth aggressively, pacing slightly. He couldn't let the Guardians free Jack Frost.

"Gothel, get Drago. Tell him to prepare his forces."

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Bunny's green gaze was unwavering as he stood watch in the infirmary.

Arms crossed over his chest, he watched Sandy with attentive concern. The other Guardian had been in the same position for hours, eyes closed with his tiny hands pressed against Frost's temples.

There hadn't been any indication that Sandy's idea had worked; Sandy's face was still set in concentration, Jack still tugged at his restraints, cringing as if he were in pain.

Eyeing the Winter spirit with mistrust, Bunny finally moved from where he stood and sat in a chair beside the infirmary bed. The last few days had been completely exhausting, even if he tried not to let it show.

They had been lucky enough to get to three of the Seasons first, but they'd been beyond late getting to Jack, and this is what they'd done to him. They'd ignored him, believing him to be nothing but a troublemaker, neglecting the fact that he was just a kid.

The Guardians were supposed to protect children, and they'd forgotten about the oldest one there was, and Pitch had gotten to him, and corrupted him. Corrupted him so much that he might never be repaired.

Bunnymund sighed, running a paw over his face. He sincerely hoped that Sandy's plan worked, no matter how much Frost used to piss him off. He didn't know what Pitch was planning, but they would no doubt need the Seasons, and that included Jack.

Honestly, Bunny was quite annoyed at himself. How had he never made the connect between Jack and the prophecy. The boy was already the Spirit of Winter, of course he would be one of the seasons. Even Pitch had figured it out.

"Bunny?"

The pooka turned slightly, tilting his head towards the feminine voice. Tooth hovered in the doorway, her hummingbird-like wings buzzing tirelessly. There weren't any of her fairies beside her, something Bunny had almost never seen, so he assumed that she must've gotten one of her more experienced workers to hold the fort for a moment.

"Hey sheila," He greeted as the Tooth Fairy flew over.

She let out a breath, her feet touching the ground. "Do you think it's working?" Her voice sounded hopeful, and her violet eyes swirled with the same guilt that Bunny felt in his heart.

"I dunno. I mean, if anything was going to happen, shouldn't it 'ave happened by now?" He looked down at his paws, not really wanting to entertain the idea of failure but voicing his concerns anyway.

Tooth shrugged, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well, if it didn't work, we'll just have to try something else then." It was clear that she was trying to be optimistic.

Bunny nodded. He knew that there was no way the Guardians would leave Jack like this.

At that moment, Sandy's placid face contorted in a violent flinch, his hands twitching over Jack's temples. The other spirit's expression mirrored the Sandman's exactly.

"What the bloody hell was tha'?" Bunny exclaimed, leaping up from his chair. He and Tooth rushed over to Sandy, but the little Guardian had returned to his previous state, as if nothing had happened.

Jack, on the other hand, looked like he was in a world of pain.

"Sandy?" Tooth asked cautiously, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on the Sandman's shoulder. When the Guardian of Dreams remained unresponsive, Tooth hesitantly moved and touched the inside of Jack's wrist.

Bunny saw her wince at the temperature of Frost's skin, before she frowned. "He doesn't have a pulse."

"I wouldn't expect him to," _Not with his frozen heart._ He left that last part out, knowing that Tooth wouldn't want to hear that.

"Is he ok?" She examined the teen's pained expression. "What's happening to him?"

Bunny's eyebrows creased. "I dunno. Maybe it might be workin'."

Tooth let out a gasp and wrenched her hand back when Jack suddenly started writhing on the bed, pulling against his restraints. His smooth features were contorted in agony, his breathing beginning to grow ragged. Sandy's mouth was set in a thin line of concentration, his eyes tightly closed.

Seeing the black sand, Bunny instinctively yanked Toothiana behind him, watching in horror as the nightmare sand started to leak from Jack's body. Even stranger, it looked more like black blood than sand, trickling from his ears, nose, mouth, the corners of his eyes.

"Oh my god!" Tooth exclaimed, and she zipped out of the room, undoubtedly to get North.

Steadily, the amount of sand coming from Jack increased, and soon it was running into his hair and under his chin, along his jaw until it disappeared under his collar or soaked into the sheets underneath him.

Bunny stood in complete bewilderment, unsure of what to do. Should he try to clean it up, or stay as far away from the contaminated sand as possible? "Tooth! North!" He yelled out from the doorway, freezing when he saw the three visiting teenagers running down the hall towards him.

"What's happening?" Hiccup demanded, surprisingly fast on his peg-leg.

Without waiting for an answer, Merida had barged into the room, stopping short at the sight of the spirit. "What the hell is tha'?!"

"Stay back! Do not touch him!" North bellowed, pushing into the infirmary with Tooth at his heel. The six of them all crowded into the room, staring on with baffled horror.

Bunny gritted his teeth when Jack let out a loud, strangled cry, the only sound to come from the two of them for hours. More tears of black leaked down his cheeks.

"Can't I help?" Rapunzel demanded, offering her hair even after how drained she was last time.

Tooth shook her head. "Absolutely not, you can't touch that stuff."

The three teenagers shared an alarmed look, but kept far away from Sandy and Jack. The winter spirit continues to bleed sand for what seems like forever, constantly replacing the older substance that froze to his skin.

Eventually, Sandy finally moves again. Though Jack's bleeding doesn't stop, Sandy opens his eyes and moves away from the teen. He gazes upon the spirit's condition for a moment, before turning to the Guardians and making a series of sand pictures over his head.

"Did ya fix 'im?" Merida asked, her turquoise eyes flitting between Jack and the Guardians.

North frowned. "He iz not entirely sure. He said may be sand left in Jack."

Tearing through the silence that followed, Jack Frost let out a loud, sharp yell, his eyelids snapping open.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rapunzel gasped in surprise.

Jack's real eyes were absolutely stunning. Bright, glacier blue.

Suddenly wide awake, he attempted to sit up, crying out in pain and confusion, pulling against his cuffs and causing the wind to crash harshly against the window as ice crept over the room. Reacting instinctively, Rapunzel rushed forward into his line of sight, careful to keep away from the black substance covering his face.

"Shh, Jack its okay, you're okay," She whispered soothingly, grabbing his cold hands.

His wide eyes landed on her face, before scanning over the room, taking in Hiccup and Merida, and the Guardians behind them. Stunned, he went almost completely still.

Cringing at the pain in his head, he regarded the four legends. "What...where am I?" He voice was raspy, his throat aching from the nightmare sand that had forced its way out of his mouth.

"North, untie him," Bunny said. He'd met Jack before he was turned, and now he saw the boy's real eyes again. At the moment, Jack was free, and he didn't need to be restrained.

Once Jack was released from the straps, he scrambled back, jumping off the bed and edging towards the window. "What am I doing here?" He asked again.

Feeling a trickle from his nose, he wiped his hand across it, stopping when he saw it come away streaked with black. Realization dawned upon, and his expression grew hard. "Where's Pitch?"

"Jack what do you remember?" Tooth asked, hovering forward.

Jack frowned, eyes nervously flitting between the Guardians and the three strangers. "I...um...I don't know, he attacked me at my lake."

"Do you know why? What did he want?"

"He wanted me to help him destroy you." He said dangerously. He'd guessed that he was at Pole, and while that was better than being in Pitch's hands, he still didn't trust the Guardians.

"You don't remember anything after that?"

Jack hesitantly shook his head. There were vague recollections, flashing glimpses, barely even memories. He caught the entire group before him share a look, and narrowed his eyes.

What did it matter? Pitch hadn't done any permanent damage. His fingers flexed instinctively, and he visually searched the room. "Where's my staff?"

The other occupants of the room didn't respond. The three teenagers looked nervously to the Guardians, obviously they had it. They almost looked afraid of him, Jack thought.

Jack turned on the Guardians, growing angry as he felt power course through his veins. If they were holding his staff... "Give it to me."

He was rather surprised at his anger. He didn't dislike the Guardians, even after his conversation with Pitch, but something deep within him sparked distrust, not to mention the three other strangers in the room. The only Guardian he really knew and liked was Sandy, and he'd never actually spoken to the little man in person.

Jack just wanted to leave. Sooner or later he knew they'd get sick of him, tired of the cold he carried around with him, bored of his antics.

"Give me my staff!"

Exchanging glances, North nodded at Hiccup, and the brown-haired boy backed to the door, exiting the room. As Jack watched the stranger leave, he felt the trickle on his skin, feeling the sting as it froze to his face.

Frowning, he reached up and wiped his mouth. "What is this?" He asked. It resembled the sand that Pitch had attacked him with, but why was it coming from his nose?

He waited for the group to respond, beginning to open his mouth to repeat his question before he was cut off by a searing pain in his head. He cringed back, trying to hide his reaction from the Guardians as much as he could.

At first they seemed too busy sharing unreadable glances to notice, but the stabbing in his head steadily grew more and more painful until finally he pressed his palms against his eyes and yelled out, curling in on himself.

"Jack? What's wrong?" He couldn't pin whose voice it was, but he shouted at them to shut up, turning away from the group, blocking out the blinding flashes of white light with his palms.

 _JACK,_ a new voice screamed at him in his head. _DID YOU THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY?_

Jack cried out, stumbling back until he felt his knees run into something. His eyes burned, they hurt so much, he couldn't stand it. Throat growing sore as he yelled, black liquid leaking from his eyes and nose, Jack fell to one knee, gripping his head.

"Sandy! Do something, quick!"

 _YOU WON'T GET AWAY THAT EASY JACK._

Then everything went black. Cold, empty, frightening black.

* * *

 **Um, sorry its been so long.**

 **Like really, that was ridiculous, i didn't mean to leave it this long. I don't know how many of you know about whats been going on with me lately, but its been pretty rough and I seriously didn't think I would even get back on FF, so I'm proud of myself for updating this at least.**

 **Please R &R, i would really appreciate the support **


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